


Cerca Trova

by FuwaFuwaMedb



Category: Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Berserker Gilgamesh, F/M, non Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-12-30 02:12:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 99,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18306077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuwaFuwaMedb/pseuds/FuwaFuwaMedb
Summary: A Request/Recommendation from Readership-After finding Gudako worriedly attempting to summon a servant due to a 'feeling,' Hakuno decides to assist the great mage of Chaldea. Her summoning brings forth something different: a servant consumed with a hatred for the gods, mortals, and everything that dares to breathe after the untimely death of their one and only friend.





	1. The Golden Serpent

_There was a warmth to it all._  
  
_An endless warmth that kissed at his skin and licked at the ground and world before him. The sparks lifted up towards the heavens, drifting in the wind like stars drifting through the universe. The dark smoke swirled and billowed up amongst those sparks of light, like the finest of cushions that had been in his palace._  
  
_He could see the walls collapse. One after one, again and again, until not the infernal sound of screaming was lost to the light. The sounds of the useless beings, in all of their imperfection, was lost to the light and the true nature of the world._  
  
_Fire._  
  
_It’s loving arms reached out into the darkness of the night. Each time that it raised its mighty hands, the world before it crumbled. Each time that it let its true nature, its true anger be known, the world around it simply faltered. The world could not handle the might that fire presented. It could not stand before fire and survive. It was a frightful thing, fire was. It destroyed the very things it touched. It tainted them, turning all to darkness. The more it was allowed to breathe, the more it was allowed to survive, the worse it got._  
  
_Truly, there was no better comparison to make as the screams drifted into a haunted silence._  
  
_He watched the entirety of Uruk burn before his eyes, holding the head of the woman responsible._  
  
_The sound had gone, returning to nature once again. The world and its people had done the same._  
  
_Now there was the lifeless crackle and snap of the fire as it fought for just that much more life to suck from the world. Now all that remained was the toxicity that plagued the world._  
  
_Just as the fire burned out in the world, so too did this dark feeling in his bones._  
  
_The gods had given him an equal, a second half to his body and soul._  
  
_But that body was gone._  
  
_Its face had been consumed by the scavengers of the dirt. Its breath of life had been stolen by the very beings that had gifted it the breath of life to begin with. Vanquished and left to roam the universe in pieces, unable to be summoned forth through power or might, they were gone._  
  
_And so too was this earth and those who tread upon it._  
  
_The sword spinning in his hands assured the destruction of it all. The golden symbols hanging over the city, written with the very blood of the woman who had caused him this feeling as the sacrifice for this dark magic, gave forth his final proclamation._  
  
_There would be no Uruk from henceforth._  
  
_There would be no kings or queens upon this earth. No humans allowed to live._  
  
_All humanity and gods would fall before him._  
  
_They would be torn asunder, burned for the crime of existing._  
  
_There would never be anything that would compare to the being that had been stolen away. He would never allow anything to bloom forth from the destruction. Nature could not grow when the embodiment of it all was gone. The sun would not shine with the smoke blocking it all out._  
  
_The moon would never rise._  
  
_The stars would not shine._  
  
_There would be nothing but the fire and the smoke._  
  
_There would be nothing but the silence and the scent of Ereshkigal’s home going forth through the air. The smell of corpses and rot, iron and smoke; it would be all that haunted these grounds._  
  
_They were gone._  
  
_All of it, gone._  
  
_So why did he remain?_  
  
_His feet moved forward through the scorched earth, his hands waving away the licking flames from touching him. His eyes looked forth, staring out into the world._  
  
_Were there more that were alive?_  
  
_Did humans or gods still walk upon the earth? Did they still breathe?_  
  
_Blasphemous spirits._  
  
_A flicker in the wind. Dark fabrics amongst the smoke riddled landscape._  
  
_The symbol of Ninsun flashed amongst that fabric._  
  
_He started Ea in his hand once more…_  
  
Hakuno sat up slowly, yawning slightly as she looked around the room.  
  
Room was almost inappropriate word for a room like Archer had. What should have been a steel walled, maybe large enough room for a large bed and some drawers and things here and there was instead a room longer and larger than a small house. The open space had been adorned in the fabrics and colors of the palace of Uruk, with the same bold décor choices that had made the king quite renown amongst Chaldea.  
  
The man himself, from the looks of it, was sprawled out beneath the sheets, lying with his best and only friend lying on top of him. The two were tangled in a mess of green hair, said hair was no doubt now knotted and tangled to a point where things would be interesting when they both awakened.  
  
Said duplicate of the man was seated over his desk, muttering to himself as he scratched at a scroll before him. The lamp beside him was still alight, despite the light streaming from the skylights.  
  
“Did you stay up again?”  
  
The mage king jumped, glancing her way before narrowing his gaze. “I have done nothing more than what is required of me as a king and as a leader, mongrel. Don’t seek to chastise me like some child.”  
  
Yes, he had. Yes, he had lost track of time.  
  
Yes, he was quite aware of the fact that it was ticking her off to see him pull so many overnighters.  
  
Moving to her feet, Hakuno looked around for a moment before grabbing Archer’s robes from the floor nearby. She carefully belted it into place, walking over and looking over the king’s shoulder at his handiwork.  
  
More harvest reports.  
  
“I thought the advisors were going to be looking over these?”  
  
“Without Siduri around, they have become lax. It is either go forth into Uruk and command them into shape through my presence or simply be able to accompany those here in Chaldea and read through these reports myself.”  
  
“What happened to Shamhat-“  
  
“Shamhat is a temple maiden, Hakuno. She cannot read as well as the advisors and her presence, while respectable and admirable as it may be, is not enough to keep my men in line.”  
  
The bags underneath the king’s eyes were dark as he spoke, those eyes flashing slightly as he spoke. There was little doubt what was going on with him.  
  
“I’m going to get us both some coffee,” Hakuno offered. “When I get back, I want to look through the reports with you. You can at least allow me to read them while you rest your eyes.”  
  
It wouldn’t be ideal, that would be the king realizing that fatigued people don’t work effectively and going to rest. He needed to climb into bed like Archer and Enkidu had done and sleep off the worn out look on his face and in his features. Even now, glancing back at him returning to his work, she could see the light headedness taking effect as he turned. There was a loopy sway in him turning back to the documents and a moment where he had to collect himself.  
  
Rest.  
  
How hard was it to rest?  
  
Damn him.  
  
Hakuno sighed a little as she wandered through the halls. Her eyes counted over the doors, one by one, finding the hallway at the right number and turning to begin the count again.  
  
With the facilities gaining more and more servants and the servants being indulged the way they were, there was little choice but for the place to expand. Bigger rooms and longer hallways meant more and more paths she needed to memorize and know how to navigate.  
  
Which, all said and done, was a challenge in and of itself.  
  
It was peaceful to walk through the halls.  
  
That was something she could say without hesitation. Even if she hadn’t been in his place long, she could appreciate some of the silence and tranquility that had come about in this place.  
  
Chaldea was a home.  
  
A rather nice home at that. Despite the cold exterior, the people and the servants that made up this place had made it comfortable.  
  
“Was it that long of an evening?”  
  
Hakuno blinked, glancing over her shoulder as the snowy haired, red suited archer headed her direction. Her smile was sheepish as she realized what he was referring to. “Caster is pulling another overnighter. I was going to make him some coffee.”  
  
Nameless- or rather- Emiya leaned in, pressing his lips to her forehead softly. “You don’t look like you slept well either, Hakuno.”  
  
“I had a strange dream last night.”  
  
“One of the kings’ memories?”  
  
She shook her head, thinking over what she had seen. It wouldn’t have made sense for it to have been a memory of Gilgamesh’s. The king loved Uruk. He breathed and performed countless overnights for his people. The two kings spent a great amount of time tending to the people. They entertained and teased the children. They harassed the ill intent of the underbelly of their kingdom. They weeded out the opposition amongst the citizens. They judged, strict but fair.  
  
The dream that had come to her the night before had been… different.  
  
Grief had wracked her body.  
  
Adrenaline had run rampant through her veins, breathing destruction in the same manner that the flames around the figure of her dream had observed. It had felt like she was that figure. She had heard their voice in her head, demented, but so much like the king’s own.  
  
Emiya’s hand ran through her hair lightly, the man pushing her towards the kitchens.  
  
“It must have been a very strange dream for you to space out like this on me. Come on. I’ll make your precious coffee so that you can return to the king and help him finish whatever it is that’s so important that he is spending more time away from you.”  
  
That was nice of him.  
  
Hakuno smiled a little, following after the man quietly.  
  
The kitchens were still empty. It must have been early enough in the morning that the whole place was passed out for once. The stainless steel gleamed in an almost welcoming way as Emiya crossed the room and began to turn on all the appliances.  
  
As the great cook for Chaldea, Emiya was normally the first to awaken and begin the day. He seemed to take great pride in creating something other than swords and knives as well.  
  
A yawn passed her lips as she settled herself on the counter of the island in the room. Her eyes were glued to the man as he carefully prepared and showed off his talents with the espresso machine.  
  
Her mind was not necessarily on the cook as she accepted the cups and headed back out the door. Heading down the hallway, thoughtlessly counting doors once again, she found herself thinking once more over what she had seen before.  
  
Gilgamesh had mentioned omens before. He had mentioned premonitions and all kinds of foresight into the future. To think that he would possibly harm his people though…  
  
No, it didn’t seem likely.  
  
If there was anything that the king loved, it was his time and his people. He loved to do nothing more than perch himself upon his throne, looking down at his people and listening to their qualms. In the past month, she’d even seen Archer really take on the ruling position, sitting on the throne when Caster needed time to sit in his office and focus on things.  
  
She normally would sit at his feet, a position that was both respectful and of little note.  
  
What she had seen in her dream had been different.  
  
So very vastly different. It was wrong to even consider it a possibility for the future of Uruk.  
  
What was wrong with her mind thinking along those lines for a moment? It must have been fatigue on her own part. She needed to get more sleep. Less video games and junk food at night and more resting. Hopefully, she could find a better way to drag Enkidu into bed.  
  
If the clay came, then so would Gilgamesh…  
  
And then she’d just need to figure out how to make going to bed about sleeping.  
  
Processes. Processes.  
  
Hakuno sighed as she rounded the corner, pausing a moment as she heard cursing.  
  
She must have made a wrong turn. The rayshift rooms were in the opposite direction of Archer’s chambers.  
  
Damn, and she had thought she’d been making progress.  
  
“Damn it!”  
  
Hakuno knocked lightly on the chamber doors, opening them slowly to find Gudako hunched over her summoning circle. At the sound of the knocking, the red head glanced her way.  
  
“Hakuno.”  
  
“Good morning, Gudako.”  
  
“Is it morning?” Gudako glanced at the phone in her pocket before cursing. “Well, fuck.”  
  
“What are you doing in here?”  
  
“Honestly?” She paused a moment before brushing back her hair a little. “I don’t even know. I just- I felt like I needed to be in here. I needed to try to summon something.”  
  
“Have you managed to summon someone?”  
  
“That’s just it, I haven’t managed a thing.” The woman leaned back a little. “I haven’t been this bothered and frustrated about summoning someone since Arthur plagued my instincts. I figured, you know, if it was like then, maybe I would be summoning another saber.”  
  
Hakuno looked around a moment, frowning a little.  
  
Her servants were only Archer and Caster. Plus Enkidu, although the being didn't seem to command her attentions like the kings did. It wouldn’t be difficult to take on another. Gudako had loads of servants with no issues. Her summoning circle made their mana requirements so low that it was laughable.  
  
And a saber.  
  
She just had to mention that she felt she was trying to summon a saber.  
  
“Would you like me to try, Gudako?”  
  
“I’ve tried all night apparently.” Gudako leaned back, groaning as she pressed against the wall of the room. “Have at it. Although if you summon a servant dressed like that, they may have a hard time letting you get back to Archer’s room.”  
  
Ah, speaking of-  
  
“Why don’t you take these to Caster,” Hakuno countered, handing her the drinks. “I’m sure Enkidu will be getting up soon. They and Archer will probably split my drink.”  
  
“You’re going to try?”  
  
Hakuno nodded, glancing at the circle again. “Why not. I still what a saber.”  
  
Gudako hesitated a moment in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the other. “…I’ll have Emiya make another cup of coffee for you and I’ll bring you come proper clothes.”  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
The woman nodded, scooting out the door immediately. The door latched shut and Hakuno moved further into the room, looking at the circle that Gudako used so often for all these servants of hers. She had brought forth so many servants in here. It was strange to be around the thing again. Considering she had given up on the process of servant summoning in general, calling it good with Gilgamesh Archer and Caster as well as Enkidu, she wasn’t really all that eager to try again.  
  
Still, if Gudako had been up all night trying to summon this servant due to a whim…  
  
It was only fair to give it a shot, if only to help the woman.  
  
She could hand over the servant to Gudako after they were summoned.  
  
Or, she would have a saber.  
  
Semantics. She needed to summon the servant first.  
  
Placing her hands down on the corners of the circle, Hakuno closed her eyes. The usual wisps of mana and power echoed through the lines, from so many times being used. The saint quartz that Gudako had left sitting on the corners of the circle for summoning were beginning to gleam brightly as she allowed her own mana to flow through the drawn lines.  
  
The light was increasing, sparks beginning to come off the floor.  
  
So something was coming.  
  
Bands of light flashed off the walls, three lines.  
  
So there was a servant coming, if Gudako’s ramblings had meant something in general.  
  
A flash of color illuminated in the air.  
  
Golden sparks were flying from the center of the room. The light turned to golden color. The room was so bright. It was impossible to look any further. The edges of her robes were flapping as Hakuno turned her face away, trying to save her poor eyes from the sight of it all.  
  
When she had summoned her servants before, they had slowly ascended from the floor, stepping forth from the nothingness and beginning with a long introduction.  
  
Gilgamesh himself had risen from the floor with his trademark smirk and a raised eyebrow.  
  
But this time, she couldn’t look to see who it was or how they were seeing the world around them for the first time. She instead felt the air thin around her. She was breathing harder as a loud crashing sound came from in front of her. The very room itself grew cold, perilously cold.  
  
A final few sparks of light and Hakuno found herself thrown back, the wall hitting hard.  
  
Something was trickling down her back as she looked up. Her vision was doubled, her eyes meeting with a pair of red snake-like eyes.  
  
The man tilted his head, a selection of scales reflecting lightly from his neck as he walked slowly closer.  
  
She almost called out to him.  
  
Almost.  
  
Her Gilgamesh didn’t have long hair though. This version…  
  
He could only be a version after all.  
  
This version of Gilgamesh looked feral, deadly. He walked like he was moving in for the kill. Those eyes looking over her, they weren’t assessing whether or not she was tired or anything like that. Those eyes were looking over her like they were checking for a pulse.  
  
Alarms were sounding in the building. The door to the summoning chamber was slamming shut, blocking out all light but the flashing red one overhead.  
  
“Where am I?”  
  
He spoke in Sumerian, not the language of Chaldea.  
  
It hurt to think. She must have hit the wall much harder than expected.  
  
The sound of shouting could be heard in the background as the man moved closer.  
  
He still had the armor, but it was only over his legs. His chest was covered in a cloth that looked nothing more or less than like a snakeskin. Each step he took seemed to give off mana, making the ground where he had stepped a moment prior gleam red for a moment.  
  
His long hair was brushed back, reminding her of Enkidu’s hair in a way. It was just as untamed, uncared for.  
  
“Mongrel,” the man murmured, lifting her up by the neck. His eyes drifted over her person, taking in the attire. No doubt he recognized what she wore. There was a pause in him, a moment where he froze as he looked over her.  
  
More shouting could be heard. Hakuno could hear Gudako’s voice as her vision swam.  
  
“I don’t recall a human being allowed to live… let alone bear my colors.”  
  
The hand was tightening around her neck.  
  
Air.  
  
There wasn’t enough air.  
  
“HAKUNO!”  
  
Gilgamesh’s voice was ringing out loudly from the other side of the door now. She could hear it loudly, dragging the man holding her’s attention to the door.  
  
“…insects…”  
  
The hand released her the moment the doors opened. A selection of swords were slamming into the wall on the other side of the room before she could feel arms around her waist.  
  
“She’s bleeding. Mongrel, go awaken Nightingale.”  
  
“How bad-“  
  
“I believe I gave you an order, pest,” Archer hissed, earning a growl from Emiya. Gudako was looking around, frowning a little.  
  
“Where’s the summoned servant?”  
  
Hakuno winced as Archer pressed a hand to her neck. She leaned against him, panting hard.  
  
“They did this?”  
  
She had to warn them. She needed to say something.  
  
The berserker was running around somewhere nearby. He couldn’t have simply vanished entirely. No, she could still feel his mana. He was in the room with them still. Her gaze flickered up, noting one of the broken beams on the ceiling. The torn fabric beneath his leg armor was visible. He was just there, amongst the broken and the torn steel.  
  
Archer followed his gaze, noting the other’s kneeling down to look at them.  
  
Those red eyes of his gleamed in the darkened room, body giving off a cascade of flickering light from the scales on his upper body. She could see two of them standing up there, perched on two parallel beams.  
  
“You touch the subject of a king,” Archer declared, opening the gates along the air around them. “Your contractor, no less. Do you seek height to try to compensate for your putrid position as a servant or as a means to simply enjoy the view of life one last time before death greets you?”  
  
The red light flashed again.  
  
Hakuno closed her eyes. It hurt to do anything at this point.  
  
“You are a fool,” the beast of a being told them in that thick tongue of his. “Laying amongst the decrepit, holding them to your breast like a mother with their young. I suppose it is of no matter. I am the end of the halls of time, the judgement that comes at the end of the destruction and fallacy of mankind. I am where the realm of gods and magic end.”  
  
The sound of the weapons sang through the air. Dozens of them, slamming into the walls and the ceiling. Hakuno could feel the dust and debris as it lightly hit her. Archer’s body took the brunt of it, holding her closer to his person.  
  
“The mongrel called you Hakuno,” the snake-like berserker murmured in her ear.  
  
More swords now. She could hear them whistling close as Archer rushed them from their spot towards where the door was. He was calling out for the others to lock the summoning room back down.  
  
Hakuno felt something pressed into her hands before the doors were slammed shut.  
  
Whatever it was, it didn’t feel right. Cold and engraved, it had to be some kind of jewelry piece or talisman. She had seen plenty of them with Enkidu and Gilgamesh.  
  
“He’s out. Awaken the other servants!”  
  
Gudako was shouting along the hallways. There was more sound. Running. Hakuno could feel her body being held closer to Gilgamesh as he was moving through the hallways.  
  
More shouting.  
  
She was lost to it all.


	2. A Snake In The Grass

She came to at the sound of a door slam.  
  
Her body bolted upright, heart racing as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She could feel the usual bulky necklace against her neck, the feeling of those arms so familiar that there was no mistake who it was holding her.  
  
“Archer,” Hakuno breathed, finding her throat pained at the very attempt to speak normally.  
  
“You tried to summon another servant.”  
  
She winced, knowing this argument all too well. “Gudako was worried. I figured that if I could summon the servant, then maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about trying to summon them. She spent the whole night trying to summon them.”  
  
Those red eyes glanced towards the door as Nightingale appeared. He nodded her off, returning his attention back to her as the nurse disappeared. “You shouldn’t have been trying at all. We’ve already had this discussion. Now we have that snake roaming through Chaldea.”  
  
She couldn’t argue that.  
  
Her mind’s eye was still seeing those scales, still hearing the strange sound of their voice as the man had leaned over on the beam he had perched upon. She could still hear him declaring that he was judgement.  
  
“Does your throat still hurt?”  
  
She nodded, pressing a hand gingerly to the skin only to feel the bruises. There was no need to look. They were going to be bad. She’d be lucky if she could speak at all if she tried to push it.  
  
“As usual, you prove to be as stubborn as ever. It would seem that your luck has run dry though. Little fool.” The gates were opening, a bottle falling forth into the king’s hands and being handed to her. “Drink deeply. You’ll need to be sure to coat your entire throat in this. You may consider the experience the start of repayment towards Enkidu and myself for this situation we are in now.”  
  
Wasn’t that just encouraging.  
  
Hakuno gave him a weak look, pressing the lip of the bottle to her mouth and drinking as he had instructed. The drink, if such a thick and foul tasting fluid could be called that, went down poorly. The urge to gag was overwhelming. The residue…  
  
Gods, it just stayed in the throat. She wasn’t sure if she was drinking this down at all.  
  
Gilgamesh took the bottle back after a few moments, returning it once more to the gates before they heard more running.  
  
“The summoned insect of a servant has disappeared,” Archer informed her, toying with a lock of her hair as he leaned back. “Caster and Gudako have taken to heading the search, but they’ve managed to slip passed Spartacus and Robin Hood.”  
  
And him, although she was not going to point that out.  
  
“Can Enkidu sense them? They had a lot of mana.”  
  
“Enkidu cannot sense anything. They informed me and I quote, ‘it feels like you and there’s two of you here.’ I’m not sure what that is supposed to mean, but they’re mistaken.”  
  
“They spoke Sumerian.”  
  
“It’s a common language in my time. Many individuals speak Sumerian, Hakuno. You, for example, have become somewhat proficient, although your accent leaves something to be desired in terms of your pronunciation skills.”  
  
“Gil, they told me I was wearing their colors.”  
  
The man wrinkled his nose, turning his head away. “Hakuno, do not be any more insolent than you already have shown. That being cannot be me. I am me.”  
  
“Caster is you as well.”  
  
“Caster is… an exception. He’s far less promising as a king and leader than myself, but he has his uses. I must admit there is a part of me that welcomes what he represents, knowing that he has shown his capabilities better than any of the other kings in this place.”  
  
Translation: Caster doesn’t count, Hakuno. Don’t be a fool.  
  
“He had the same eyes and-“  
  
“I saw the beast of a servant, Hakuno. I do not sport such grotesque imperfections on my person.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“The scales,” he almost spat. “I do not have scales, Hakuno. I am not a snake.”  
  
“I know you’re not. I’m just telling you-“  
  
“And I am telling you that is not the case.”  
  
Hakuno growled at him, stopping the moment her throat began to burn. Tears came to her eyes a moment before she felt the servant lean over her. Those eyes narrowed, his brows furrowing a little as he ran his hand lightly over her neck.  
  
“Stop your incessant arguing with me on this, Hakuno. I will not be held responsible for your foolish theories and beliefs. This being is not me and I am not him. Whoever they are, I intend to find them and return them to the grail before they have the opportunity to once more attempt to mar the peace and preferable circumstances of my living situation.”  
  
She’d stop for now, if only to let her throat have the break.  
  
At her silence, she found Archer leaning in a bit more, his cold hands doing wonders for the burning feeling. She leaned into his touch a little more, sighing as she closed her eyes.  
  
“You pathetic fool,” he murmured. “I gave you the simple command of simply understanding your great fortune in summoning talents thus far. You had to push your limits and bring things to this point.” At her no doubt tired expression, she found him leaning in a little more, pressing his lips lightly to her own. “I will grant you forgiveness, I suppose. If you assist me like before in the capture and destruction of this snake of yours. Your particular talents for mana sensing were becoming better with the assistance of Enkidu. Seeing that this problem is of your doing, it is only natural to think that you would have an advantage in the finding and killing of it as well.”  
  
“We don’t know anything about the-“  
  
“Silence.” He pressed a hand to her lips, shaking his head. “You’ve spoken enough. Your neck has more stripes than that of the cubs in my palace. Allow me to do the speaking for us both. This servant has made their intentions clear. They have no respect for you or for this place. They do not show respect where respect is due and that has done more than enough to solidify their fate.”  
  
The thing had been like Berserker though. Was it right to necessarily think that the servant was some kind of feral animal that needed to be put down?  
  
“Don’t give me that look, Hakuno.” Archer wrapped the blankets around her a little, tightening his hold on her waist. “You cannot show sympathy in such manners. They attempted to kill you. Given your position as a lover in my bed and as the master to my friend, I cannot allow such to go unpunished. They are set to die, by my hand or another’s. Allow us the satisfaction of handling this servant ourselves.”  
  
“We don’t know anything about this servant.” And it was him. It had to be. She knew his voice and his silhouette anywhere. The expressions had been so similar.  
  
“It’s easier this way.” Archer’s voice was so soft, that charisma of his working to loosen the resolve that she had put in place.  
  
Arguing with him would only give him the advantage he wanted. There’d be no saying no if she spoke at all. So she turned her head, leaning it against the man a little more and enjoying the warmth of his embrace. Those hands were slowly rubbing at her arm, trying to calm her when nothing else would.  
  
They could hear so much happening outside the room, so many voices as servants did rounds in the hall. She had to assume that was what they were doing. She’d heard Emiya speak a half dozen separate times, his footsteps vanishing before he was talking to another servant again.  
  
“I will talk to Caster about a salve for this bruising. I don’t care for this reminder. You are plain enough.”  
  
Hakuno nodded.  
  
“Enkidu was quite unsettled with your disappearance this morning as well. You’ll need to ensure that you don’t simply vanish like that again. The alarm only added to their concern.  
  
Hakuno leaned her head back, staring up at him.  
  
Yes, Enkidu had missed her.  
  
That was it.  
  
The man looked down at her a moment before rolling his eyes. “I do not care for that look, Hakuno.”  
  
“You don’t like any of the looks I’m giving you,” Hakuno argued.  
  
The man merely grunted a moment, turning his attention towards the door.  
  
More running around outside the room. Hakuno shook her head, “We should be out there with them.”  
  
“You were attacked.”  
  
“I think I’m okay. I think your gross potion is helping.” It wasn’t. She just couldn’t be sitting around any longer than she already had. Pulling the blankets back, she climbed out of the bed, looking around again for something to wear.  
  
It was always such a fight to find clothing. She really needed to just start keeping clothes squirreled away here and there throughout Chaldea-  
  
“Hakuno.”  
  
She turned, finding his lips pressing against her own. Humming, she found herself moving in closer, taking in the bemused expression on his face a moment before she found one of his shirts being handed over.  
  
“I should probably have something-“  
  
“I don’t keep your clothes in the gates. Procure better clothing and I will reconsider.”  
  
She really needed to get something like the Gates of Babylon. The shirt went over her shoulders, buttoned into place a moment before she found his jacket around her shoulders.  
  
“You shouldn’t have been wandering around in only my robes,” he chastised, heading for the door. “Come on, Hakuno.”  
  
His New York jacket was at least wrapping around her a lot more like his robes had. She hurried after him, stepping out into the hallway and finding it deserted.  
  
For the moment anyway. No doubt someone would be running around the corner at any moment.  
  
Something tickled at her senses. Hakuno motioned to the left.  
  
“I think we should go this way.”  
  
Archer followed at her side, hands going into the pockets of his pants as he walked at her side. The man looked towards the area, almost looking at it all in a bored manner.  
  
They had done more than enough talking earlier.  
  
She really didn’t owe him a conversation at this point. She was supposed to be resting her voice anyway. Still, the longer the silence continued between them, the more her mind was left to wander. The fleeting feeling she felt was not really strong enough that she could focus entirely on it. In fact, the further they walked, the more trouble she found herself having in keeping a good understanding on where it was coming from.  
  
“Hakuno.”  
  
“Hmm?” She paused at another hallway end.  
  
“You are heading towards our chambers.”  
  
Was she?  
  
Hakuno looked around again, taking note of the sign for cleaning supplies at the end of one of the paths. Sure enough, Gilgamesh’s room had a cleaning closet near it.  
  
“We were heading in the opposite direction, weren’t we?”  
  
Archer sighed, pulling her along and continuing their path. “You cannot sense them. It was worth a shot at this point. I suppose the only other option is to drain you of mana and simply let the servant crawl out on their own to attempt to get more mana.”  
  
“Drain- I don’t think that’s a good plan.”  
  
“Caster can most likely keep your mana contained-“  
  
“Alright, but you know servants tend to keep a reserve themselves. They can last days without having to go to their master for help. This one’s a berserker too.” It was very likely that they could probably survive long enough for her to need to give more mana to the others. Enkidu and Caster would require mana far sooner than Archer would.  
  
“Then we need to find a way to look in every single room.”  
  
Hakuno groaned.  
  
He was trying. There was no doubt about that. Archer was trying to think of ways that they could simply find the being and get them back to where they came from. Looking into all the rooms at the same time would be good too, but the technology or servant that they would need for that was foreign to her mind. Maybe Edison could think of something, but really…  
  
The man would no doubt be tinkering for days on the matter, only allowing the unknown snake servant to be able to roam and cause all kinds of chaos.  
  
Archer opened the door to their room, motioning her in.  
  
Once more in their space, the change in the archer began in his more relaxed attire. He headed for the bathroom, waving her way as he went.  
  
“I am starting us a proper bath. You clearly are in need of a reminder as to why your life has more than enough servants.”  
  
Had she not explained well enough for him?  
  
She had been trying to help Gudako. She had been trying to help their team composition. What’s more, she had given consideration to-  
  
It was Gilgamesh.  
  
There was no hope for explaining.  
  
She sighed, moving to sit at Caster’s desk. Her eyes drifted to the documents there, noting the moment that the man had stopped working. A report was about a third of the way responded to. Looking closer, Hakuno shook her head.  
  
Grabbing the pen from nearby, she moved into place and went to work.  
  
Honestly, the man must have been half tired writing this. There was no good way that he would have allowed a nearby territory’s farmers onto Uruk territory so easily otherwise. This name had been in another report. Same area, same description; the man was a citizen of the neighboring land. The argument was over a crop field that had been approved a month and a half ago by Uruk’s council too.  
  
Yes, this was unacceptable.  
  
She ran a line over Caster’s writing, beginning with a reference to the month prior. The scrolls were all kept in Caster’s office after being read aloud to the people. She could have them pull out the former scrolls to provide better background. What’s more, the neighboring territory’s diplomat owed Caster for the whole fiasco of insulting Ereshkigal. She made a nice allusion to them, ensuring that no doubt the diplomat would have the opportunity to read this as well and remember.  
  
Maybe they’d need Enkidu in attendance for reading this.  
  
She made a note on a blank piece of paper nearby for this. She would need Caster to take Enkidu with the reports for this trip. Whenever that happened.  
  
The next couple reports were repeats.  
  
Wait…  
  
She looked around more closely, groaning as she realized the man’s folly.  
  
He had left half the reports from last time without their responses. The man was literally doing the same work over again. But that left the question of where the responses had been placed. She looked around the desk, opting to searching the drawers. Sure enough, the bottom right hand drawer held a handful of scrolls. All responses without the reports.  
  
In his fatigue, he had created more work.  
  
“I swear I’m going to make him take a two day nap,” she muttered, setting the scrolls on the desktop and beginning to match them.  
  
The man needed to get a new advisor and he needed one yesterday.  
  
None of this maybe later or I need to fight with you nonsense.  
  
Caster needed to get someone and just spend a month training them on how to delegate and properly think these things through. Hell, she’d be his advisor if he would stop insisting that she was best in his bed.  
  
Dumbass.  
  
He still had her doing his work with him. Might as well accept the inevitable.  
  
A pair of hands were going to her shoulders.  
  
“Gilgamesh, give me a moment,” Hakuno pleaded, not taking her eyes off the work. “I don’t understand your Caster self at all. Look at this. He did all the reports for Uruk and then tossed them in a drawer. We need to talk to him about resting. I-“  
  
She stopped, noting the sound of a pounding coming from the bathroom door.  
  
Her attention focused on the desk, refusing to look back.  
  
She had led Archer to the man. The man had come directly to their chambers for some reason. The berserker servant was right there, once again touching her.  
  
“I don’t know what to do about this,” Hakuno told the beast, trying to keep her conversation focused on the subject she had been discussing. The longer she let the other believe she wasn’t realizing who they were, maybe the more time she would have to think. She needed to think too. What to do. What to think. “Maybe we should go to Uruk?”  
  
Her head was tilted back, jaw held tightly as she met the feral eyes of the berserker. Her heart began to race, her hands remaining on the desk.  
  
“Hakuno!”  
  
The man’s eyes drifted to the door a moment before turning to her once again. “Mannu za.”  
  
Who are you?  
  
She paused, running her mind through the options.  
  
“Harimtu.”  
  
It was all she could think of. A temple maiden. The snake of a servant looked at the desk, eyeing the documents before their eyes returned to her.  
  
That had been a mistake.  
  
Caster’s words about Shamhat rang in her ears again.  
  
Harimtu would never be doing reports. They would never be chastising a king in front of their duplicate. They would be naked or in bed waiting. They would be serving their goddess and they would not be as well covered up as she was at this moment. Their body would be more shown and obvious. Their movements would be sensual.  
  
A hand moved into her hair, moving softly through it. The strange scales extending down his left arm could be felt against her skin, cold enough that she almost found herself shivering. His gaze softened a moment. It- He, she corrected herself, almost looked like the others. He almost looked normal.  
  
A leg slammed into hers, knocking her down. She found herself falling against him, crying out only to stop herself. He held her in place there, kneeling before him.  
  
“The one similar to me thinks you important enough for a bath,” he purred. “You lie to me out of weakness. You work as though you hold familiarity with my holdings.”  
  
She needed to just keep her mouth shut. Archer was destroying the door. She could sense Gilgamesh Caster and Enkidu getting closer now. She let her mind drift to her command spells. Could she rattle out a command before the man would finish this?  
  
“Answer my question,” the berserker commanded.  
  
“I am a master,” she tried, her breathing coming in shakily. Her leg was definitely broken from that hit. She wouldn’t be able to get around for a while.  
  
The beast of a servant looked at the scrolls again. “How do you get to Uruk?”  
  
Oh no.  
  
Hakuno shook her head. “It is impossible.” She couldn't tell someone like this. He would destroy Uruk.  
  
“Liar.”  
  
He didn’t even have to think about it.  
  
Come on, Enkidu. Come on, Caster.  
  
She needed them to get here. She-  
  
A whimper came out as the man stepped on her leg, pushing down on it. She moved, if only to wrap her hands around his foot, trying to push it off. She couldn’t breathe, it hurt so bad. Her leg wasn’t supposed to look like that. She wasn’t-  
  
He yanked her head back, forcing her to look up at him.  
  
“You are taking me to Uruk.”  
  
The hell she was.  
  
“Just kill me,” Hakuno growled. “Gilgamesh has worked too hard to keep Uruk alive.”  
  
Those eyes gleamed. “Do not tempt me.”  
  
Hakuno looked up at him a moment before she let go of his foot.  
  
She kept her eye contact with him as she let him press down on her leg harder. She waited, not speaking. Her hands balled into fists, tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Fuck him.  
  
Fuck him to hell and back.  
  
Her eyes drifted down his chest, her arm pulling back a moment before she struck. She lashed out, yanking down the crotch plate and slamming her other fist into his manhood. The roar filled her ears, her hair was being pulled, making her suck in a breath before he was teetering back.  
  
She threw herself into Caster’s rolling chair, shoving towards the door. Her leg wouldn’t work. She’d not bother with dragging herself to the door. As she felt him coming, she tossed the chair his way, throwing herself outside of the bedroom.  
  
Her eyes drifted down the hall.  
  
Close.  
  
Enkidu and Caster were close.  
  
The Berserker threw the door open, glaring down at her a moment before she felt herself hauled up. Her fists slammed against him before she found herself moving. She let out another scream before the wall slammed into her.  
  
Her vision swam as they walked down the hall.  
  
A servant was grabbed as they turned the corner, their voice small as they were being strangled.  
  
Instructions on the rayshift were given in a breathless voice.  
  
The crack that came was the last sound she heard before she found herself passed out again.


	3. Sirrush

“Hakuno… Hakuno, please… Please don’t do this. Wake up… You have to wake up, human! The bastard will be back at any moment!”  
  
Everything was hurting, pain lancing through her as Hakuno shifted slightly. Her eyes opening, finding the Sumerian goddess sighing in relief.  
  
“Oh thank Nanna. I thought you’d stay asleep. I need you to get up.”  
  
“Need me to get up?”  
  
Hakuno looked around. She knew this room. It was one of the guest rooms near Gilgamesh’s chambers in Uruk. They were in Uruk…  
  
Her eyes flew to Ishtar. “Is that Berserker-“  
  
“Yes, he is. Yes.” Ishtar waved her hands a bit. “I need you to heal me so I can leave!”  
  
Hakuno looked down, biting her lip at the sight.  
  
Ishtar was in chains. Thick ones, attacked rather violently from the looks of it through her ankles. Not around. The goddess was bleeding out as she continued to look back and forth between the door and her. Her eyes were wider than normal, her hands holding her up, albeit shakily.  
  
“You were the servant I heard give direction to Uruk.”  
  
“I didn’t have a choice,” Ishtar murmured, glaring at her. “We need to leave now. He’s lost it.”  
  
“That’s not-“  
  
“It doesn’t matter, we need to go. We can summon the others when we leave. I have to go. He’s talked about doing things…” The woman looked towards the door again. Her body moved closer to the chair, “I can’t be here when he gets back. I just… He’s going to murder everyone. I don’t know what has gotten into the stupid man, but he’s gone off the deep end.”  
  
“Is he mad about Enkidu?”  
  
Was he berserker because of that?  
  
It would make sense. The other duplicates had been affected by time and by strange circumstances. Caster had taken on the role of king more drastically than his archer self, taking on the role of a mage and a stronger advisor in order to accommodate for the death of his friend.  
  
If berserker-  
  
“He doesn’t care about anything. He’s just amused by his bloodlust.” Ishtar looked over at her, those eyes hardening. “I can’t breathe, Hakuno. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I need to leave. I need to go. I can’t die here.”  
  
She tried to move, maybe to comfort the goddess, but her leg… Even as she looked down at it, she could see it was horribly broken. It angled in a direction it shouldn’t have angled. It was turning black and blue. If she so much as moved, it would no doubt hurt enough that she’d possibly pass out.  
  
The berserker must have damaged it more when he had brought her here.  
  
“Hakuno,” Ishtar snapped her fingers in front of her. “I need freed.”  
  
“I need my leg to stop being broken. I can’t really heal us both right now.” Hell, she wasn’t sure she could even heal herself enough to get out of this room. Looking around, she looked for anything. A bottle, a scroll, a book, maybe a chair or a stick or something; she needed a way to move or a material to create something to work towards healing. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping for in terms of creating a potion or spell, but she was open to possibilities.  
  
Something.  
  
Blood was across the floors. Things she couldn’t identify littered the floor. It looked as though a bloodbath had come across the room, the smell of death mocking the living as it permeated the room. Everything seemed to have gotten stained, with splatters and pools of the dark liquid here and there.  
  
“I’m going to die here.” Ishtar moaned. She laid out across the floor. “He just kept hurting me, Hakuno. He has been stalking back in here and doing things.”  
  
Footsteps.  
  
They both paused at the sound, Ishtar’s body moving beneath the chaise she was on. Her hands held onto the legs as she tried to hide deeper beneath its loving protection. Hakuno leaned back, ignoring the pain as best she could. The pain pricked at her eyes, making her vision swim as she heard the door moving.  
  
A head leaned in, the black haired woman looked around a moment before she saw them.  
  
“Bless Ninsun,” Shamhat whispered. She slipped in the room, closing the door and looking around a moment. Her hands went to the torch hung nearby, setting it sideways through the door handles. She moved quickly to their side. “I thought you were dead, Hakuno. I cannot express enough my gratitude to the gods themselves for your safekeeping.”  
  
“That’s not the Gilgamesh that we know,” Hakuno told her. “If you saw-“  
  
“I hid,” she murmured. “I sensed the power and was contacted by Ninsun to hide. She bid me hide amongst the treasury until a bell chime ago. It has been eight bell chimes since you arrived with him.” The woman looked at her, shaking her head. “What has happened?”  
  
“Do you know if you saw any potions-“  
  
The woman reached into her robes, pulling out a vial. “I have brought the healing herbs from Ninsun’s own temple with me, as instructed by my goddess.”  
  
“Oi!” Ishtar moved slightly, bringing their attention to her. “Heal me!”  
  
It wouldn’t serve a point to heal her.  
  
The thought bubbled into her mind as soon as Hakuno looked down. She knew the goddess well enough to know what her end game would be. She would run. She’d go as far as she could and she would cower until things had been done. Either that, or she would seek out retribution against the king, wiping out all of Uruk. She would unleash something like the bull of heaven.  
  
“No.”  
  
Ishtar’s expression turned murderous.  
  
“Shamhat,” Hakuno looked over at the temple maiden. “We need to heal my leg and then I need you to help get Ishtar to Caster and Archer Gilgamesh.”  
  
“The real kings?”  
  
“You can still contact Enkidu, can’t you?”  
  
Shamhat stared at her, biting her lip.  
  
Of course the clay being had gone so far as to leave a phone with the maiden, promising to contact her at times when things were slow in Chaldea. Hakuno had heard the being at night sometimes, sneaking to the bathroom and murmuring softly into the phone, chuckling at things the goddess had said and telling her stories about the world of Chaldea. Sometimes they would spend hours like that.  
  
“Lady Hakuno,” Shamhat murmured.  
  
“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Hakuno replied, glancing towards the door. “Just be sure to contact them and tell them what is going on. I don’t think the others realize where we are. They are probably hunting through Chaldea for us. Ishtar will need to be healed better than herbs. Caster will be able to help.”  
  
“I should take you out of here,” Shamhat replied. “The king… the dark one has plans. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but he’s been slaughtering the guards and plundering the palace. So many tapestries and altars have been destroyed, Hakuno. He blasphemies against the gods.”  
  
“I know. I need to help protect whoever is still alive.” She would.  
  
Caster would lose his mind at the scene around them alone.  
  
“Hakuno,” Shamhat tried again.  
  
Hakuno took the herbs from the woman, not even pausing. She bit down, closing her eyes a moment as she placed her hands on either side of her leg.  
  
Three…  
  
“Hakuno,” Shamhat’s voice was more concerned now.  
  
Two…  
  
“What are you doing, human?” Ishtar was sounding closer.  
  
One…  
  
She snapped the leg into place, pushing her mana to go through and heal. She swallowed at the herbs, choking slightly as she felt her blood begin rushing through her veins. There was no chance to breathe, no chance to cry out or anything.  
  
Shamhat was saying a prayer to Enki and Ninsun. Ishtar was cursing up a storm.  
  
But she was healing. Hakuno could feel her toes again. She could feel her leg and her leg was responding when she tried to move it. Her body still pained her, but she would be able to move around now. She could do something more than simply lay around and pray to the gods themselves for assistance with protecting this world.  
  
With that in mind, the next goal was removing the chains from Ishtar’s legs. Her magic was weak, but the sparks to melt at the metal, breaking it enough she could pull the metal bar free of the other half of the chains. The sound of squelching could be heard, Ishtar’s voice crying out softly.  
  
“H-Hakuno, that hurts.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
She understood entirely. A good part of her wanted to take the two women and book it for the exit. They could hide in the city or outside the city, waiting for help to arrive. For once, she really, truly wanted to be selfish, waiting for the cavalry to arrive.  
  
Her servant would only find her though. Her mana would give her away to the being.  
  
“Shamhat,” Hakuno pulled back, earning a nod from the woman.  
  
“Forgive me, lady goddess, but I must hold you to help you escape from this place.”  
  
“We can’t just leave. The berserker will know the moment we leave here. He’s watching the exit,” Ishtar argued, wrapping an arm around the woman and leaning against her. “I don’t intend to die in this place, amongst you useless humans.”  
  
Hakuno looked at the maiden again. “You have your phone?”  
  
“The phone is in Ninsun’s temple outside the city,” Shamhat told her. “I… I went to visit and forgot it when I returned. I had assumed that Enkidu would return with you this time. Instead, Ninsun barely reached me in time.”  
  
Bless small favors.  
  
“You’ll need to contact them as soon as you reach the temple,” Hakuno told her. “As soon as the servant is focused entirely on me, I need you to run for the exit. Do not stop anywhere until you are well outside the city limits. I would recommend hiding Ishtar’s body under a cloak or something when you reach the outskirts of Uruk. Just keep going.”  
  
“Hakuno-“  
  
She didn’t let the maiden argue. Turning, she began to head from the room.  
  
The berserker would be in the throne room. He was still a Gilgamesh. He was still arrogant in his own manner.  
  
Her pace picked up, pain echoing through her veins from before. Just the memory was haunting her, but she had to keep going. Shamhat and Ishtar remained close behind. Their eyes scanned the halls, Ishtar looking back often to check on things.  
  
Hakuno held out a hand, hearing the scream being cut off in the other room.  
  
“Do you want to please your king?”  
  
“Your Eminence!” The advisor’s voice was so weak. She knew that one. Stubborn and a pain, an elder who held the world in his hands; Gilgamesh Caster had been working alongside the man for ages, arguing over this and that. Never had a hand been raised, a voice changed or hardened. Even during the toughest of judgements, Caster always kept himself in check.  
  
Something cracked in the other room.  
  
“Did I give permission for you to look upon me?”  
  
“Father help me,” Ishtar breathed.  
  
Shamhat looked over at her, exchanging a worried look before Hakuno shook her head.  
  
“Remember what I said,” Hakuno breathed.  
  
The duo moved to the other side of her, crouching a little.  
  
Hakuno held the handles of the throne room, knowing the best and quickest way out was through there for the duo. They’d have to run straight through. She’d need to provide enough time.  
  
Her heart was hammering against her chest.  
  
Just a little time.  
  
She could do it.  
  
“Please, your Eminence,” the man in the other room begged.  
  
Now.  
  
Hakuno shoved the door open, rushing in. Her feet carried her over the stone floor, her eyes glued to the snakelike beast before her. Those red eyes flickered to her, the man’s weapon, a half melted looking Ea, slowly pulling out from the elder’s back.  
  
Her body lunged towards the man, hands gathering as much mana as she could muster. She leaped at him, hands and feet slamming against him. His weapon met her halfway.  
  
The circuits in her hands glowed brightly as the beast looked up at her, his eyes alight.  
  
“You have healed.”  
  
“I summoned you,” Hakuno growled. “Give me some credit.”  
  
That face pressed closer, his eyes narrowing. “You are a mere wisp of a mage, no stronger than a newborn. Whereas I… I am something far greater than the gods.”  
  
The blade expanded. Heating up against her hands.  
  
She leaped back, grabbing at the elder and throwing her energy into shoving him towards the survivors. The man’s body slid across the floor at a breakneck pace, the king’s blade slamming home just a hair’s width away.  
  
Death.  
  
The thought came to mind and Hakuno felt a shiver as she booked it towards the king’s throne.  
  
Gilgamesh always kept a weapon on his seat. Always.  
  
Archer took pride in that fact. Ever prepared, always just a moment’s movement towards being the executioner of life; the king took his role very seriously, much to his mage’s self’s distress.  
  
The blade slid forth from beneath the seat, Hakuno’s eyes flickering back only for the beast to be there.  
  
Just there, looming over her, those eyes illuminating even as he cast a shadow over her body. His face was stoic, amusement playing in those eyes. Always the eyes, for Gilgamesh, that gave away that emotion.  
  
She was a mere mouse before him, a mouse in the eyes of a great snake.  
  
Her mind needed to stop thinking of him as the king. She needed to think of him as the monster that he was.  
  
“I see devotion in those eyes,” the imposter breathed, aiming that melted Ea at her. The blade was churning, the mana flowing through it. The red color reflected off the man’s face as he leaned closer. “Do you love this face of mine so deeply, little mongrel? Does it make your heart ache, to think of attacking someone such as me? Your king? Your god? What does that little mind of yours think, using the great weapons that I have stored in this place against me? Protecting those who have no value from me? Should I make your heart weaken further? Do you know what pain is like?”  
  
Breathe, Hakuno.  
  
This was not Gilgamesh.  
  
She needed to stop thinking like he was.  
  
“Do you know how long I ruled this land?” he asked softly. “Do you know how many years I protected the gods and allowed the people their foolish submissive role beneath them? Their lives mean nothing, not even to them. The people of Uruk are nothing more than pawns, little mage.”  
  
“You will not hurt them.” Her voice sounded firm, even to her own ears. Good. Her bravery was at least in tone.  
  
The beast laughed, sword striking forth only for Hakuno to dive beneath it. She swung at him, finding his hands grabbing at her hair and thrusting her towards the throne.  
  
She landed against it hard, listening to the half hiss, half laugh, that escaped the berserker.  
  
“You think yourself so highly important.” He laughed harder at his own words, nodding. “A queen of Uruk,” the Berserker declared, holding his hands wide as the advisors tried to inch towards the door. “She begs me to save you, to spare you your deaths!”  
  
He was lunging towards the others. Hakuno lunged after him, only making it a few inches before something threw itself through the entrance.  
  
The Berserker’s weapon lit up, the roar taking away all sound, all air. She could hear the scream for only a moment as the dark haired figure was burned alive, the entrance blasted through and blocks from the upper part of the entrance crumbling towards the earth below.  
  
A head rolled across the floor.  
  
Those eyes looked down at the being as the advisors wept.  
  
“The moon is dead,” the serpent declared. “Such a shame the god’s daughter had to miss the opportunity to watch him fall.”  
  
Shamhat and Ishtar were still in this place. Hakuno didn’t dare look back, didn’t dare say a word. The serpent of a servant was looking at her again.  
  
“You are not sitting in your throne, dear mongrel queen,” the berserker observed. “Does it not please you? The god would have killed me, the man whom those eyes look upon in such a loving manner. He would have struck me down. The pitiful creature tries to save these mongrels that clamber upon our floors like the scum that they are.”  
  
“Let them go,” Hakuno breathed, voice soft.  
  
“Oh? Do you protect them?”  
  
He was moving closer. Hakuno tightened her hand around the sword in her hand, waiting.  
  
“Do you wish to harm me? Is it because I have not paid tribute? No coronation, no nothing?” The man stopped before her.  
  
“You have what you want,” Hakuno breathed, looking up at him. She couldn’t unsee the king in the man’s features. She needed to stop seeing him, but…  
  
Damn it all.  
  
He smirked, tilting his head a bit. “Perhaps I will spare them, if you sit like a good girl in your seat.”  
  
She moved slowly, sitting in front of the throne. Her usual spot.  
  
“Your seat, mongrel,” the serpent called to her softly. “Or perhaps you think I should sit upon the throne?”  
  
She waited, not daring to look away from him. She had to maintain that eye contact. A single moment, even the fraction of a second, could mean the difference between life and death. Each fragment of time, crystallized in the throne room, immortalized in her mind as her lungs refused to move, was bringing the servant closer. She could feel that mana, like there was no end to where her power ended and his began. The closer he came, the more she could sense. Her hair was standing on end, eyes remaining locked on his as he moved closer.  
  
Waiting…  
  
She waited as he grew ever closer.  
  
“What a strange master you are,” he marveled. “Do you think yourself noble? Do you think the gods admire such a selfless spirit such as yours? You would be wrong. There is no good in this world. There is no hope. No joy. The meaningless pleasure that we take for ourselves in this life does not last. There is no such thing as the forgiveness that the temple maidens offer with their bodies. The world and all those in it are living meaningless time. It is best to kill them all. Best to take from their misery before the darkness of loss consumes them.”  
  
“You’re wrong.”  
  
He opened his mouth to speak- no, to preach at her once again and she struck. The sword slammed into his leg, carving into him until she reached the bone. His body toppled forward, his rage a roar that deafened the room. She threw her body over the servant’s, grabbing at his head with her hands.  
  
He rolled them, reaching down as something flickered off to the side. Black and brown hair flew behind the darting figure, their bodies disappearing out the gaping entrance. The advisors took to the hills as well, running for their lives a moment before Gilgamesh threw her aside.  
  
The Gates of Babylon opened, swords slamming down upon the bodies of the advisors.  
  
Hakuno felt the sound escape her, her mind tried to process what she was seeing.  
  
The final advisor, the elder who had been injured before, looked back, pressing against the weapons.  
  
“You have taken away my playthings,” the berserker king observed, moving to yank the sword from his leg. “How interesting that you think to provide the opportunity for them to escape. It is meaningless though. Uruk shall fall.”  
  
Hakuno felt her hands tighten on the scales of the man’s arm. “No.”  
  
“No?” The servant slammed her body against the ground. “You still defy me?”  
  
He could strangle her. He had no qualms with doing so. Hakuno glared up at him, trying to focus her mana on her neck. She needed to thicken the skin and the muscle there, guard her neck from the servant as best she could.  
  
“You are like a cockroach,” the man breathed, leaning in close. “So idealistic, so hopeful. I wonder…” He lifted her, carrying her to the throne and setting her upon it. He tilted her chin up, making her look ahead, staring into his eyes as he leaned forward.  
  
“I won’t stop,” she warned him.  
  
“I know, you won’t. You have the sickness of mankind. You hold that gleam of hope in your heart so tightly that it permeates the room. Even as it has killed all those advisors.” The man leaned forward. “You killed them, you know. You gave them hope, mongrel.”  
  
“You-“  
  
“You made them think they could run. You’re another false god. Just as the others are.” He moved away, slamming his weapon between her legs. “Good advisor of mine, plagued with the sands of time!”  
  
The elder whimpered as Gilgamesh moved forward. His hands went to the fallen being’s neck from before, lifting the amulet from around the man’s neck. “The great god, Nanna, is dead. Therefore, a new god must take his place. Is that not how the idea of gods work?”  
  
The elder nodded, pressing against the weapons of slaughter behind him. His body trembled, his eyes looking around the room for something- anything.  
  
The servant lifted the head of the fallen figure, looking upon it in a bored manner. “It is a shame, truly, that your daughter is not here, Nanna. Ishtar would have loved to see your death, I’m sure. I’m sure her tears would have made a fine wine and her body a fine rug alongside yours. I sense her presence gone. I can only blame one soul for that.”  
  
Those eyes flickered to her again.  
  
“Leave her be,” Hakuno told him.  
  
“You think to command me, little mongrel. You think yourself so highly important, a little queen on a little throne on a useless land.”  
  
“Uruk is everything.”  
  
He laughed, his body moving forward. Hakuno reached between her legs, trying to lift his weapon. Hers was still on the floor. There was no good way out of this seat without moving the weapon. She had to go, had to move!  
  
But he was there, setting the head upon her lap and the amulet around her neck.  
  
“I foresee the future, my master,” he purred. “Do you know what I see?”  
  
“You see nothing,” she snarled.  
  
“Your backbone is amusing. Your healing is confusing, what with your weak mana,” he replied smoothly. His tongue ran along her ear, breath warm against her skin. “I see your Uruk being invaded. The neighboring territories are coming to claim it.”  
  
“Impossible.”  
  
He pulled her forth, taking his blade as he drug her towards the entrance. The swords sank into the ripples of the Gates, another slamming into the final advisor.  
  
The sunlight hit the city, illuminating the view as the people cowered and stood at the bottom of the ziggurat. A thousand and some eyes, all gazing towards the false king as he held her up.  
  
“The gods are dead,” he yelled forth. “The age of worship is at its end!”  
  
“STOP!” Hakuno struggled, “The gods are not dead!”  
  
“Nanna is slain!” He roared to them all. “Only your little queen ensures your lives now! Bow, mongrels!”  
  
A movement, like a wave. The citizens were murmuring, but their bodies were kneeling forth, doing as bid. The sight made her stomach churn, her eyes flickering back to the serpent king. Something glinted over them all.  
  
Ripples.  
  
Hundreds of ripples, illuminating the skies.  
  
He was going to-  
  
“No… No don’t!” Hakuno felt her hands grasping at his chest, at his robes. She dropped the god’s head, feeling it fall towards the people. “Don’t kill them. Don’t… I don’t care what you do… I don’t- Just don’t kill them!”  
  
“You care for them so deeply?”  
  
All she could do was nod.  
  
Hours upon hours, she and Caster had gone through tablets and scrolls of reports. She and archer had sat in for the mage king, helping these people. They had seen life come forth from the birthing houses, helped the ill and the unfortunate in the medical houses, brewed mead and celebrated amongst the throngs of people below. They worshiped the king, loved their city. This place… this world… It was something the king had slaved over. It was lifetimes of work.  
  
The man tilted her chin in her direction, “you truly are the sickest amongst these mortals…” He leaned in close, the gates fading slowly amongst the heavens. “But I will cure you of this. The light will fade from your eyes. You will learn the true value, or rather- the lack thereof- of humanity. And I will stand beside you as we slaughter them all.”  
  
“I command you…” Hakuno could feel his grip tightening, “to never harm the citizens of Uruk that stand upon this land. You must not harm Uruk.”  
  
She could feel the command spell as it took effect. Those eyes gleamed despite the demand.  
  
“You cannot harm me, can you?” He leaned in closer, “I do not need to harm Uruk. I will force every able bodied soul to fight on the fields of war, mowing down all of humanity until they take their own lives. Each and every person in this city will soon have blood on their hands, mongrel. And when the world is without a single human left alive, I will seat you upon your throne again and ask you this: Was that command spell worth it?”  
  
She tried to speak, but the man called forth to the people.  
  
War upon Nippur!  
  
War upon Ur!  
  
No man, woman, or child outside Uruk was to live!  
  
“SO DEMANDS YOUR KING!” The serpent king declared in a roar that shook the very ground itself.  
  
Hakuno just prayed, prayed to Ninsun and back.  
  
Please, let Ishtar and Shamhat escape.  
  
Let them find the true kings of Uruk.


	4. Snakeskin

They moved quietly back into the ziggurat, Hakuno’s mind buzzing around the words that the man had just thrown towards the people.  
  
War.  
  
They couldn’t fight Ur and Nippur at once. That was a two front war. There were so many various issues with the very thought of going against those two cities. Looking up at the man, she could see there was absolutely no concern in those eyes.  
  
Caster would have been losing his damn mind.  
  
“Ur is a cultural epicenter that has been welcoming Uruk citizens for over a hundred years,” Hakuno growled at him. “Trade with their people has ensured that your ziggurat grew from the ground up with all the riches in quality that could not be done with Uruk resources alone. Nippur is under the protection of Enlil. You’re basically asking the gods to fight us for declaring war for no reason.”  
  
“They are of no consequence.”  
  
“You’re asking Uruk to attack people that they have traded with, built connections with! There’s no coming back from that. Even if we walked back out there right now and set things right…” Even if they did, they’d be in for long negotiations and major losses. There wouldn’t be any kind of reprieve. If Ur didn’t ask for much, Nippur would be cutthroat.  
  
“And what would a harimtu know of politics?” the man all but purred. His face moved in closer, a hand going to her shoulder. “Unless you would like to correct your earlier words.”  
  
She looked away, biting her lip.  
  
“Well?”  
  
“I am… You can call me what you will. I just won’t stand for Uruk to fall because you feel like you have something to prove. Uruk is the closest thing that I have to a home.”  
  
“You are not of Uruk blood.”  
  
“I was created,” Hakuno replied simply. “I don’t have any unique blood. I hardly classify as human, but this is where I’ve chosen to make my home and these people are important to me. Which is why I can’t let you kill them.”  
  
The man stopped her, opening the doors to his chambers.  
  
There was something in his expression. Looking up at him, she could see the clouded look in those eyes, thoughts roaming through his mind. He moved in closer, tilting her chin back. She could feel his fingers moving along her skin.  
  
“You are not fashioned of clay.”  
  
“…I was created by a system called the Moon Cell.” Fashioned after a human that had lived at one time, but she could not recall the human’s memories or anything. She was merely a falsehood, allowed to live through Gilgamesh’s good graces and sacrifice. That was what it was in the end. The Moon Cell would have deleted her without him dumping so much of his Gates in exchange for her.  
  
“Your creation does not interest me,” the berserker told her.  
  
“Only my pleasure, wasn’t it?” She smiled at him a moment before shaking her head. The words had been too close to Archer’s. The man always followed it with declaring it was only her pleasure that he was interested in. That and her entertaining him. Other than that, she was nothing more than an addition to his treasury, one he had paid a high price to attain.  
  
The man pulled away from her, a sound escaping him as he opened the door to his room and motioned her to enter.  
  
“The mongrels will come to dress you. When you are dressed, you are going to watch me leave a message for Nippur and Ur through their visiting countrymen.”  
  
“You-“  
  
He wouldn’t.  
  
He looked down at her, those eyes as open as ever. He would. He would harm someone innocent for no other reason that spurring the war into having a reason.  
  
“Beautiful.”  
  
She felt her face tilted up, his hand moving along her jawline.  
  
“Do you know how you look when you are afraid for these people? Your eyes themselves gleam with prepared tears to their loss.”  
  
“Don’t do this…” Hakuno looked up at him, her hand wrapping around his. “Please…”  
  
“It’s already started, Moon Cell creation. You may pray to your gods if you wish, but when this world’s people are gone, we will move onto the next. The place where we had been before can take me anywhere from what the useless goddess said. We’ll destroy world after world, take them out of their misery.”  
  
“And what will that accomplish? Destroying everything. At least my hope and the hope of the people out there has given them purpose. Life. You have nothing,” she hissed.  
  
“I don’t see my other self with you?” The man purred, hand going to her neck again. Hakuno found herself pausing. “As I said before, you have nothing. You live upon lies, breathe them in. I will cure you of this.”  
  
“To what end?”  
  
He raised a brow at that.  
  
“Why prove anything to me? You could simply destroy this world and everyone in it.”  
  
Why didn’t he simply destroy it all. What was he waiting for? He could have killed her so many times before. Why was he holding back? Sure, she was his master, but that meant he could easily just drag her around and do as he pleased. Taking her here was something, but he wasn’t simply decimating Uruk.  
  
Her eyes scanned over his face.  
  
Gilgamesh was not a romantic, not truly. She’d never seen him simply give in to the need to please anyone. He found things that were pleasing, if nothing else. The man was never straightforward either.  
  
“What are you doing, Berserker?” Hakuno asked quietly.  
  
“I am destroying this world, harimtu.” He snorted. “Or I should say Queen Harimtu, since your position has elevated to that point. Perhaps the gods will come to try to argue with you.”  
  
She felt herself shoved into the chambers, the doors slamming shut before her.  
  
Damn him.  
  
She had to get a message out. Someone had to be nearby, perhaps she could find something. A tablet to inscribe upon a warning. She could chuck it towards the people and maybe they would read it and follow the declaration.  
  
Or maybe she could find a way to send something else out. They may not believe the king would do such a thing.  
  
Then again, he’d just declared war.  
  
She moved the room, pausing at the sight of the lion cubs near the bed.  
  
“Archer, I’m going to let you bring all the lions to bed when I get back to Uruk.”  
  
They would make it out of the palace. Gilgamesh had made a path for them out the window cuts for them. The collection of them could wander down to the people as they often did, paying a visit to one of the advisors of the temples.  
  
They, of all people, would read the warning.  
  
She just needed a scroll.  
  
Caster was good about that.  
  
The man had a tendency of taking his work back to the bedroom. Looking around, she grinned, finding a scroll beneath one of Archer’s whimsical chair purchases. She grinned, opening the parchment and looking around for a writing instrument.  
  
No ink though.  
  
She paused, trying to think.  
  
Caster had one of the pens that they had been given from Hans. A great pen, but one that required ink. She was going to need to talk to the man about getting a pen that simply came with ink naturally. This fancy nonsense was a waste of time and now she was without ink. No ink. No writing.  
  
Of course, she could always use blood.  
  
Oh, but this was getting dark.  
  
She wasn’t sure if the bloodthirst that the berserker seemed to have was rubbing off on her or simply she was that desperate. Honestly, it was probably a mixture of the two. Either way, she was roaming back to the bed, reaching beneath the mounds of cushions for the knife Archer normally kept beneath. Sure enough, the audaciously designed knife gleamed in her hands as she found it.  
  
Just a nick, she told herself.  
  
She winced at the feeling of the blade across her palm, her hand squeezing into one of the glass bottles hanging by the window.  
  
Oh, but it hurt. Not as bad as her leg had, but still…  
  
It was for Uruk.  
  
She just had to remind herself that this was for Uruk. She’d get the Ur and Nippur citizens out of Uruk before they were harmed and then negotiations wouldn’t be as difficult. She would have Caster and Archer at the boundaries of Uruk in time and they would all three take down Berserker. The man was lost. They needed to do something before he went too far.  
  
Already he was going far beyond comfort.  
  
They’d be spending months fixing what the man had done.  
  
The bottle was not very full, but her hand was starting to seriously hurt. She didn’t have time to bleed out more for the message. She went to the desk, pouring the liquid carefully out onto the wood and apologizing silently to Caster before she began.  
  
It was a short note.  
  
_The king of Uruk declares that all Nippur and Ur citizens be evacuated from the city immediately. Do so before the king leaves the palace._  
  
Simple.  
  
Gods, her hand hurt.  
  
“Anu. Uras. Lugalbanda.” Hakuno whistled towards the sleepy lions, summoning them over to her. “It’s food time. Do you want to go into the city?” Please want to go into the city. She couldn’t leave the palace. She was barely making any progress with the servant and, if she left, it felt like she’d never make it back into the palace.  
  
Lugalbanda flicked his tail, those eyes gleaming at the mention of food.  
  
Bless the one named after Ninsun’s consort. Bless Ninsun.  
  
Hakuno wrapped the parchment in a cloth, wrapping it around the lion’s neck before leading the little trio to the window. They purred around her, rubbing against her sides before they were out. Down the ziggurat they went, zigzagging their way towards the people. She watched them, holding her breath.  
  
She half expected them to die.  
  
Surely Berserker was watching for something.  
  
But they made it, weaving their way through the people. A great collection of them followed the lions, as they normally would.  
  
They vanished up the stairs to Ninsun’s in city temple and Hakuno leaned against the pillar next to herself a little more.  
  
A great horn sounded moments later.  
  
She could see a flooding of people heading towards the temple.  
  
“Thank you, Ninsun,” Hakuno breathed. Gods, but she could feel tears coming to her eyes.  
  
It was something. Even if it was a little thing, she could see already that the people were listening. They were taking the warning seriously. The flood of people crossing over the bridge at the edge of the city and those heading towards the other end of the city were moving quickly.  
  
Things would be okay.  
  
Well, as okay as they could be.  
  
Hakuno opened her palm, staring at the wound in her palm. She really didn’t have anything for treating it in here. Archer and Caster both balked at the idea of keeping first aid in their room. Why do so when they could have more sensible things. The lions needed to be in here and Caster needed to sneak books into the room.  
  
“I love you so much, Gilgamesh,” Hakuno murmured, looking out at the city again.  
  
Truly, if it weren’t for their absurd habits, she’d be in worse shape.  
  
They’d all be in worse shape.  
  
“Harimtu,” Berserker’s voice called from the doorway. “You have not tried to escape, have you?”  
  
“I am admiring the view,” Hakuno replied.  
  
Those red eyes looked over at her, amused. He opened the door further, letting in the temple maidens. “I have found others of your ilk. Sadly, they seem to lack the knowledge of politics and ruling, but I am sure there are other commonalities that you may discuss.”  
  
“I’m sure there is.” A hatred of that condescension would be first.  
  
The women kept their heads bowed as the king gave them an hour’s warning.  
  
One hour.  
  
Then she was back in the front lines, trying to figure out what the man’s plan was and figure out a way to stop him. One hour to make some kind of plan. Hopefully, the king would not wander into the city, killing citizens of neighboring lands in the meantime.  
  
“He has lost his mind,” one of the maidens murmured.  
  
Another nodded, looking around nervously. Her arms were loaded with cloth. “He acts no better than the murderers. A mere beast instead of a man.”  
  
“The only one of us who could possibly handle something of this nature would have been Shamhat. The woman is missing though. No one has seen her.”  
  
Hakuno’s eyes drifted to the window again, looking out towards the trees.  
  
Harimtu.  
  
“How do you all do what you do?” Hakuno asked aloud.  
  
The women all went quiet. Looking over, she could see all of them staring at her. A mixture of horror and confusion littered their faces.  
  
“The king has gone wild, has he not?”  
  
Shamhat had taken Enkidu and made them human. By the being’s own words, they had been more interested in destroying the hunters that were going after the wilderness, having no intention of becoming mannered or human. It had been Shamhat’s intervention at the king’s bidding that had made them change.  
  
“Shamhat is one of the most beautiful maidens in Uruk,” one of the maidens murmured, shifting on her feet.  
  
“We have an hour,” Hakuno reminded them. “I don’t know what needs to be done, but please… We have to do something. We’re going to lose Uruk at this rate.”  
  
A couple of the maidens moved, taking the fabrics and setting them upon the bed. They pulled her further into the room, stripping her bare and beginning with wiping down the blood from her person. The two maidens argued for a moment before one slipped from the chambers to get treatment for her hand.  
  
“The king will not stand for being handled by a harimtu,” the one that had held the fabrics murmured. “If he even thought we were considering teaching you of these ways, he would have us all murdered.”  
  
“Right now he’s planning to send us to war with Nippur and Ur,” Hakuno countered, ignoring the women touching her and deciding on fabrics. “We don’t have time to argue what he would do. There’s only what he will do unless we do something. He let me in here.”  
  
Which meant nothing.  
  
She knew it meant nothing. He was entertaining himself with such actions, finding it amusing to place someone who had called themselves nothing more than a harimtu in the chambers that should only be shared by royalty. It was a gesture of mockery, but-  
  
“King Gilgamesh doesn’t like anything unseemly. Placing me in here means something.”  
  
“He calls you harimtu,” the woman commented.  
  
“Then harimtu is what I must be.”  
  
The woman shook her head, moving to sit nearby as the maiden from before returned. A collection of small pots were in her arms as well. Charcoal and other things she didn’t fully recognize. Hakuno let them work, watching the other maiden as she stared bemused at the window.  
  
She was smarter than the other two. Even as they dressed her up, she could see that she did not want to do this. If she got the opportunity, Hakuno had no doubt that the woman would be running for it. She’d find another city to work in. Another city to find home with whose king was not going off the deep end.  
  
“You must be comfortable with your body,” the maiden dressing her murmured. “No matter what you hear, no matter how bloody or wrong it may be, you must know your body and be proud of it. This is the only body you receive from the gods and it will be the one that all remember.”  
  
“Think of your body much like your jewelry,” the other added. “You may not care for the plain base, but you may add gems and other additions. You can make it whatever you wish. A harimtu knows this and knows that people are their gems. Their sins can be cleansed through admission and repentance to the gods. If you are going to attempt to be the vessel between the king and the gods, you must understand the sins you are about to take.”  
  
She nodded, feeling the clothing being pinned in one last place. The maiden moved to her hair next. “We can prepare you as best we can, but know that it is ultimately you that has to face the beast in him. Hold faith in the gods. As with Shamhat with the great clay being, courage is the strength of perseverance.”  
  
“You both are saying such encouraging things, making light of it. After the blood and violence that we walked through to arrive to this room.” The third maiden looked over at them, glaring. “Do you forget that those men were of value? They had worked with the king for so long and he tore through them. He slaughtered them on the very palace floor he had worked with them upon.”  
  
She was standing up, moving over to her as Hakuno was forced to keep her eyes open for the pigments around her eyes and on her cheeks.  
  
“You do not need words of encouragement, but a warning. You are not going to simply woo him, child. He is beyond the realm of romantic inclinations and hollow words of love and affection. What you will hear is violence and what you will be met with is biting words that will eat at your heart. If you are hoping to find some kind of soft center in the man, remove that from your mind.”  
  
“I just want Uruk safe.”  
  
The reply came out just as the maiden finished her warning. Glaring up at her, Hakuno didn’t bother to argue. There was no point.  
  
This wasn’t the same Gilgamesh that had built this city and loved these people. This wasn’t the same man that played with his lion cubs on the side of the room or snuck in parchment and books when she and Archer wasn’t looking.  
  
This was an entirely different Gilgamesh.  
  
Thus, she had to be an entirely different Hakuno when handling him. She needed to stand her ground, feel value. She would look of pleasure, if nothing else.  
  
“If you try to help him, you’ll be swallowed up,” the critical maiden told her. “The gods cannot help you. You may not even return to them when you die.”  
  
She wasn’t born of them anyway. The gods had nothing to do with her.  
  
She merely loved Enki and Ninsun for giving life to Enkidu and Gilgamesh respectively.  
  
“It is time,” the maiden putting on the pigments murmured. She moved back, collecting the bottles. Hakuno tested where she had poured potion onto her hand, grateful her mana and the salve had closed the wound. Berserker wouldn’t necessarily know she had used her own blood.  
  
“Whatever he wants to do to you,” the maiden behind her murmured, setting the last pin in her hair. “You let it be done. A maiden’s first time is always the most terrifying. You will have no one to help ease you in either. No one will take over if you get tired.”  
  
Well, she wasn’t a virgin. She had withstood Archer and Caster.  
  
These three simply didn’t know that. They were most likely of a lesser temple.  
  
They could hear Berserker coming closer. They lined up behind her, waiting as the door opened.  
  
The man had bathed, adorning himself in a clean set of robes. His long hair was still wet, making him look more untamed and violent than before.  
  
“King Gilgamesh,” Hakuno greeted.  
  
“And here I thought you would not call me by such a name.”  
  
“It is your true name.”  
  
The man looked at the maidens. “Out the window with you three.”  
  
The three panicked, faces draining of color.  
  
“You have seen that which I hold within the palace. Surely you do not think I will simply allow you to live. You are maidens from Ur, are you not?”  
  
“You would make them go without prayer?”  
  
She could feel their gazes on her as Berserker raised a brow.  
  
“Last rites are always given. Even before battle, men are given time to pray.”  
  
“Do you intend to lead them through this?” The man leaned against the wall. “Are you going to walk them to the window as well?”  
  
“…I can.”  
  
He laughed, the sound echoing in the chambers as the youngest of the women burst into tears. Whatever trust that had been built had begun crumbling. Hakuno went to the eldest.  
  
“Where I come from, rites are said quietly,” she told them all. She leaned in close. “There is a path outside the window. The lions take it to the city. Move low and move quickly. I cannot buy you much time, but I will take him from this room.”  
  
The woman stared at her as she moved to the weeping one next, her hands wrapping around the girl’s. Again, she murmured softly to her.  
  
Again, but with the third next.  
  
“To the window, harimtu,” he told her.  
  
“It is Hakuno,” she told him. “And your game is boring, King Gilgamesh.”  
  
His eyes gleamed at the challenge. She took the three and pushed them from the room, watching them move slowly down the path. It would not be the safest. In fact, she was sure Gilgamesh had originally made the path to be dangerous at parts to stop intruders, but it was all she could do.  
  
She couldn’t even watch them, instead opting to move back to the berserker and look up at him.  
  
“I am dressed and you have begun your games.”  
  
“I have not begun anything. It was you that sent them from the window.”  
  
“At your command.”  
  
“At my suggestion.”  
  
Jackass.  
  
Hakuno sighed.  
  
“Do you not enjoy it?” The man tilted her head up. “Even dear Ishtar would have taken lives to be in the position you are in now. She would have adored being dressed in such a way.”  
  
“This is a temple maiden outfit. Ishtar would have argued.”  
  
“Would you rather be naked then?”  
  
Hakuno reached behind herself, removing the pins that had carefully been placed.  
  
The robes dropped.  
  
“I have no problem with nudity. I am plain. I don’t care.”  
  
The man stared at her, those eyes roaming over her person before he turned. “Replace them properly. I cannot assure the safety of Uruk citizens whom have seen you in your most exposed.”  
  
“I don’t know why you would care.”  
  
“I do not.”  
  
She moved passed him, walking into the hallway. “Then you better find a way to dress me. I don’t intend to bother since you don’t care.”


	5. The Harimtu Queen

The man didn’t demand, he yanked her back. She glared up at him for a moment at the tug, barely holding herself back from doing something that would lead to trouble. He’d hit her back if she hit him.  
  
“You will be dressed for receiving the generals.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
The man narrowed his gaze, “you will become a distraction to the men.”  
  
“If I get dressed, will you postpone the fighting until the Uruk men are prepared for war? Prepared on their time, not yours.”  
  
“We are not negotiating,” he growled.  
  
“Then I’m going to go sit down and wait for this to begin.”  
  
“We are beginning as soon as the generals bring me citizens of Ur and Nippur to make examples of,” he warned her. “Once that is done, we shall decide where the bodies are taken and how they are received.”  
  
“If you can find a citizen,” Hakuno pointed out, glancing towards the throne room. “You announced the end of Nippur and Ur to the people and gave them time to run.”  
  
“The generals were informed to bring me people.”  
  
“I don’t think they will find anyone,” Hakuno replied.  
  
The man was in front of her before she could move, face within mere centimeters from her own. Those red eyes narrowed, hand gripping her neck as he tilted her face to focus on his own.  
  
“You know something.”  
  
“I gave warning.”  
  
She couldn’t lie. Everyone and then some knew that she had no talent for the art of deception. Besides, he would find out the truth soon enough.  
  
“That would require you to send word.”  
  
“It would.”  
  
The man stared at her, expression darkening. “How?”  
  
“I wrote a letter.”  
  
He snorted, wrapping the clothing once more around her person and pinning it tightly into place. There wasn’t much room to get comfortable, but the man wouldn’t care about that. Those eyes were drifting to the throne room now.  
  
“We will see how your little letter works. There are none in the city who would listen to the word of a harimtu.”  
  
Oh, but there were.  
  
The damn fool didn’t understand these people at all. She walked behind him, watching him move through the room, standing next to the throne. He pushed her into the seat, forcing her to remain in place as the generals from the city came in.  
  
She knew them all from reputation.  
  
They looked at her, surprise on some of their faces before they merely stood in a line, waiting for orders.  
  
“Where are the others? I know there are more generals,” Gilgamesh growled.  
  
“They have fled the city, as ordered. No Ur or Nippur citizen, not full nor partial blood, is in the city. We have scoured the streets and found that the only people that remain are the citizens. The people are concerned about this fact as well, but they trust their king.”  
  
A good answer from the head general. Hakuno felt herself smile slightly.  
  
“And did you check the outskirts of the city? Whose authority deigned this evacuation necessary?”  
  
The men looked at her, hesitating.  
  
The snake-like king moved forward, his movements methodical as he crossed the space. Around the men, he went. His eyes roaming over the lot of them as he moved. “See,” he drawled, “I find that interesting. A harimtu informs you to have the citizens of other cities leave and you are immediate. You have them flee the city without so much as a question as to why or how. Yet, I call upon you to appear at my palace and I find you hesitating.”  
  
“Gilgamesh-“  
  
The man held up a hand, those eyes flickering to her a moment before turning to the head of the generals. “Are you a gods fearing man, general?”  
  
“I respect the power they have,” the man responded.  
  
She could see the gates opening behind the generals. There was no doubt what was to come.  
  
“GILGAMESH!” Hakuno stood up.  
  
“YOU WILL BE SEATED,” he commanded, the sound of his voice roaring throughout the room. She hesitated as he narrowed his eyes at her. “What kind of power a mere useless harimtu has gained upon Uruk is beyond my comprehension. You see fit to circumvent my decrees and defy me at every step of my path. You, who cannot even defend yourself from me.”  
  
“Fight me then.”  
  
The berserker laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. She could see the gates closing.  
  
“Fight you?” He asked. “You will die, woman. And if you die, it is my death as well until another fool summons me.”  
  
Once more the gates were opening. Hakuno could see the guards sensing the danger, their attention turning to the area around them. She could see blades beginning to come forth from the ripples, aimed towards the generals.  
  
“Fear doesn’t become you,” she found herself saying. “Maybe humanity scares you.”  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
His voice was soft, his feet carrying him away from the men. She had his full attention now. Like it or not, he was now entirely focused on her. It wasn’t in a good way either. She moved back, taking one step at a time before her legs found the throne. She fell into the seat, seeing him continuing his path towards her.  
  
“You have a desire to be on the end of a blade, woman,” he purred. “You desire death so greatly.”  
  
“Someone needs to stand up and tell you when you’re being a fool,” Hakuno breathed, her mind screaming to run. She could feel her stomach twisting uncomfortably. Her eyes were glued to his as he stood over her. “A harimtu knows sins when they see them.”  
  
“You lack the finesse of a harimtu,” he replied easily.  
  
His hand stroked along her cheek.  
  
“Generals,” he ordered loudly. “Leave us. Prepare the armies for war.”  
  
Those eyes were still glued to hers. She could see the promise for pain coming to that gaze, his hand moving softly along her face.  
  
“It would seem I have business with the supposed untitled queen of Uruk.”  
  
They were running, all but abandoning the room as Hakuno merely waited. Even as they ran, she could see them hesitate in the doorway. Their eyes were roaming over her, quiet prayers on their lips as they vanished. They knew what was to come.  
  
His hands pinned her to the seat, his face close to hers as those eyes narrowed.  
  
“Do you find it amusing then?”  
  
“Amusing?”  
  
He yanked the outfit from her person, a hand going to her chest. He pinched at her, making her wince slightly.  
  
“You call yourself a harimtu, but you are a virgin to those ways.”  
  
The floor came to meet her as she felt him thrust her from the seat. Her eyes drifted back, just in time to see him skulking forward.  
  
“I am the king of Uruk.”  
  
“You’re arrogant.”  
  
He kicked her. The pain that lanced through her chest was more than before. She forced herself to glare up at him.  
  
“I. Am. God.”  
  
“You’re the friend of Enkidu. The king who created this kingdom that I have to now defend.”  
  
There was no pause in his actions. She could tell she had crossed the line the moment his face had turned to crimson. Her breath was gone again. His face close to her own.  
  
“You dare speak their name. You dare to think yourself immune to me-“  
  
She aimed carefully, finding his prized manhood the moment her eyes began to roll back. The ground slammed against her back as she kicked him again.  
  
The room was spinning a bit. She needed to escape this man’s grasp.  
  
“Do you think yourself to be anything more than what I deem you to be?” He leaned over her, stopping her movements by pinning her down with his own body. She was well and truly trapped, but the hand loosened on her neck.  
  
She leaned back against the floor, trying to breathe.  
  
This view was familiar. She had seen it before.  
  
When she had beheld the nightmares of Enkidu… When she had seen the view of death coming over them during those darkest nights, she had seen this ceiling. She had seen the king towering over her. She closed her eyes, letting the air run through her lungs.  
  
“Mongrel-“  
  
“Take my hand, my friend,” she breathed. She coughed a bit. “We will go together. Your heart should burn to do battle. Pay no heed to death, do not lose heart.”  
  
Enkidu had said that to Gilgamesh so many times when they were training. They breathed it to the archer and caster whenever they were disappearing, having fought a bit too hard.  
  
The man over her paused, those eyes roaming over her person.  
  
Gazing upon him was too much. She closed her eyes. Her mind drifted through things, trying to think of some way she could regain her energy without simply needing to rest. She had lost too much blood though. She could feel the bleeding, her head aching.  
  
“You do not get to die,” a voice breathed in her ear. “You do not get to say such things to me so calmly. You do not understand the fires that you play with.”  
  
“You are everything to me, Gilgamesh,” she breathed, mind flickering to the archer.  
  
A pair of hands wrapped around her body, pulling her up into his arms. She could feel the snakeskin against her own body, her body being carried towards the other room. Something was being poured over the back of her head. The pain was lessening.  
  
“What mortal are you?” he hissed. “You think to purge me of my sins. You think to fight with the very end of all existence. I will treat you as the harimtu you claim so falsely to be!”  
  
“Humbaba’s mouth is fire,” Hakuno replied, pressing her face to him. “His roar is the floodwater. He breathes and there is death. He hears the slightest sound somewhere in the Forest…”  
  
“Stop speaking as them,” Gilgamesh snarled.  
  
Hakuno looked up at the man, finding them both back in the man’s chambers. He all but threw her at the bed, climbing on himself. His armor was torn from his person, yanked so violently that he tore at his own skin here and there. But those eyes were glued to her.  
  
“You are not to speak as them. You are not to think yourself the same as them.”  
  
“You are perfect to me,” Hakuno replied softly, quoting him now. “You are human, my friend.”  
  
“I SAID STOP!”  
  
She reached forward, finding him shoving her against the mattress. His lips stole hers, punishing her. His body was shaking so violently. There was a piece of him there.  
  
A small piece. It lay beneath the psychopathic tendencies, beneath the bloodlust. She breathed anything she could remember the clay being saying that was of hope and life. She felt him yanking her legs apart.  
  
The women had warned her that any forgiveness in body from this man would be violent.  
  
But she needed to reach him. She could do as she had read of queens with their kings. She could do as Shamhat had and make him begin to think again. She could bring back the king if she tried hard enough. If she was patient enough-  
  
“You want Uruk to live,” he murmured in her ear, his hands twisting her body around. He shoved himself into her, taking her from behind. She could feel him pushing into her, deeper and as unforgiving as possible. “You speak the words that none else have heard. You fight me, even as I wound you. Even as I speak down to you.”  
  
“You are perfect to me,” she told him again.  
  
He was moving faster, harder. She couldn’t keep up with the pace. She held onto the pillow, riding him out, trying to breathe through the pleasure ripping through her body.  
  
The man pulled out, turning her and sealing their mouths against one another. She could feel blood on his lips, her own, she realized as he pulled back. She’d nicked her lip from biting it so hard. Her eyes drifted up to the man as he panted, staring at her.  
  
“You plain, outspoken being.” Those eyes drifted over her body again. “Your Moon Cell created you for me. It must have sensed what even the grail could not sense. It sought to tame me, temper me. Instead, it shall be the cause of my creations. I know you will tend to them. All of them. Your body shall be the temple that becomes worshiped.”  
  
Hakuno stared at him, feeling his hands moving over her. Those eyes were almost gleeful in how they took in her form.  
  
“I will kill all the gods,” he told her. “Every last one of the gods and their worlds will be destroyed. They are unfit. The humans shall die as well, since their bodies are weak and their minds fragile. Only the strong are meant to survive. Only those who can withstand the anger and the vile filth of this world shall remain.”  
  
“Gilgamesh-“  
  
His lips moved along her body, those lips tenderly moving over her person. “You, who so defiantly braves the line between life and death, who claims the hand which will still the universe, shall be permitted a pass from the violence to come. Your body will birth the children of merit and value, with eyes that seek to ultimate truths of this world and bodies take after the sower of destruction.”  
  
She was already shaking her head at that. She wasn’t going to be-  
  
“I am perfect,” he quoted, moving to capture her lips with his own. “Your body shall be the cradle of life in this universe, my hands and that of my Ea will be the chaos that our lovemaking will take over after. Only those who can survive the flood of violence will be worthy of living. Only they will be worthy of being led forth into this world and into the universe to survive and breed like the pawns that they are.”  
  
“You can’t destroy Uruk,” Hakuno told him again, trying to pull back.  
  
“Your city will fall,” he breathed, his bangs falling into his face. “The seeds of its own destruction have been brought forth by your own hands, my little created queen. You allowed their people to return, alive and whole. They will spread the word of the mad king. They will seek to understand and they will be met by the armies that I will bring forth to meet them. There is only one path from this point and that is the path of death. The only options that lay before you are to become the queen that the survivors of this land may think of you as or to seek out the people of those other cities and watch them attack you.” His hands stroked at her softly, those red eyes meeting hers. “For they will not listen to you as the Uruk people do. They will not pay you heed, no matter how much you speak like the clay being who came before you.”  
  
She couldn’t speak to them. That was true. She had known that the moment she had sent the lions out. Trying to reach their ears, to tell them of what was happening, was an impossible task. Caster had been the only one to speak to them before.  
  
“Gaze upon me,” the berserker demanded of her. “Harimtu, I give you my sins, not so as to seek forgiveness, but to allow you to fall into this depravity with me. I will seat you at my side on the other side of death and the end of the age of humanity and gods.”  
  
Steady, Hakuno thought. She met those eyes and forced herself to remain compliant.  
  
“I see what the others saw in you,” the man praised. Those red eyes gleamed as he continued to touch her. “They waste you, master. They live in their carefully constructed world, but I will free you of those bonds. You are mine now.”  
  
She could feel him moving again within her. Over and over, she could feel herself shaking as she drew closer to that edge. Her hands held onto his body, her eyes closing as she felt him cradling her to his chest.  
  
The world came to her mind. Blood pouring forth from the ziggurat towards the city. She could see fire burning in the distance, the temples of Uruk crumbling in her mind’s eye.  
  
“You share the sight with me,” the man murmured. His excitement obvious in his tone. “Only the worthy see into the life of others. Only those who contain worth and power can see into me.”  
  
His appetite had her turned again as she came, the man pulling out of her before he was taking her from behind again. His movements were focused, finding and abusing her weakest points. His hands moved along her body, leaving no bit of her untouched.  
  
She screamed his name into the pillows as she came, hearing him murmur to her.  
  
Promises. So many promises.  
  
The world would be hers. The universe would be hers. No human nor god would be allowed to stand before her. No sun would be able to rise without her consent. The world would be destroyed through the power of creation, the power of Ea. She would stand behind the blasts, the final remnant of hope to build the new world.  
  
She lost consciousness for a moment, the world fading to white as she felt herself climaxing again. Her mind rebelled against the fact that she found pleasure from him. How she could do so when he spoke of death.  
  
But then her hands were not pristine either.  
  
“Hakuno,” the face of Archer breathed so softly down at her as the sun rose behind him. She couldn’t even see the scales on his neck as she felt her consciousness fading in and out again.  
  
The man leaned in, his hand cupping her cheek as those lips pressed to hers.  
  
“Still your eyes breathe of love in them,” he murmured. “You look at me without sin, without judgement. You are truly a goddess amongst the harimtu, my Hakuno. I will not allow another to gaze upon you. You are mine now, my stolen treasure and prized possession. Rest with the future of my upcoming world within you. I will slaughter the ones who bear my face and lay their false world rest.”  
  
She closed her eyes again, unwilling to listen.  
  
“Watch me, my created other half,” he bid her. “The clay being taught me well that there is no hope for this world. Your body and eyes claim promises of a future, one that cannot stand so long as the old gods and their worshiping mongrels breathe. I shall rectify this problem. You merely must sit upon my throne and defy me so beautifully."


	6. The Bloodshed Antecedent

“Caster!”

“She’s not in the training grounds or in any of the dining areas,” Caster told the man, ignoring the look on the golden armored man’s face as he crossed his arms. “We’ve lost her.”

Bad word choice. Archer was snarling at the others around them. “Leave us! Keep looking! That snake in the grass needs to be found and brought to me. I’m gonna slaughter him where he stands! There won’t be enough of his body for Fou himself to shit on.”

“Crude,” Caster murmured. Justified though.

This was Gudako’s fault. All of it. Their master should have been curled up on his desk, reading through scrolls and enjoying fresh coffee. She should have been indulging in his indulging manners and instead she was missing and there was a servant on the loose. Even now, he could feel the fatigue on the edge of his focus. He needed to sleep. He needed to stop and instead he was pushing his limits.

Archer looked around at the others as they ran around, that gaze narrowing more. “Where is that useless goddess? She has a habit of turning up to annoy and pester my woman.”

She was most likely near Emiya, but that was something he could look into himself. Caster turned away, shaking his head. “I will check with Faker.”

“Do that.”

He paused, glancing over at Archer. “…Did you seek to cop an attitude with me, Archer?”

Those eyes were locked with his own. He could see the internal debate, the weighing of options. No doubt, he was debating over whether or not it was worth the fight right now. Hakuno was missing and every second led them one step closer to finding her in danger. They didn’t know whether she was with the servant or hiding from the servant or what. Instead, they were dangling, waiting.

Useless.

They were useless.

Caster turned away, shaking his head.

“I will not bother with your nonsense for now. Our friend is hunting through the logs in the rayshift room. While they do that, I will hunt down Faker and inform him to find his woman. I have no doubt that she will sense me close to him again and intervene. She does not like anyone bothering him.”

A scowl was on the Archer’s features, but he turned away, nodding.

“Fine.”

“Archer?”

The man looked back over at him. “I blame you,” Caster told him. “Entirely and wholeheartedly. You were to see to her injuries due to this summons and keep her safe. I told you to remain with her. You did not. Whatever comes about from this, I hold you wholly responsible. My woman is in danger.”

“She is not weak,” Archer hissed.

“She is not.”

The statement was already sending him into a frenzy though. No longer could he stand and loom over the others. He was shifting on his feet, glancing around the hallways and huffing. Those eyes were narrowed.

“Hakuno will be fine,” Archer growled. “She is stronger than you, Caster. She is stronger than most of these servants. Inferring otherwise is a slight to myself and I will not be slightest even by myself. Look for that damn Faker!”

He was hurrying along the hallways away from him. Most likely to Enkidu, Caster thought as he turned away. The man enjoyed having his ego stroked back into place by the clay being. When he had become so dependent was beyond his knowledge.

Where would Faker be at this time?

The kitchens weren’t an option, despite that being where the man would normally be located. The sirens were still going off. The servants were still running around, attempting to find the berserker.

His chambers wouldn’t be logical either.

“Caster!”

He sighed, knowing that voice quite well. “Cu Caster.”

“I heard the lass is missing.” Cu moved through the hallways, a rune disappearing under his feet. “Do you think there is anything that I can do to help with the matter? I know how much she means to you and to the others. Gudako is beside herself in guilt.”

As she should be.

Gilgamesh looked the man over, thinking upon that rune he had just seen. “You track people through runes, do you not?”

“I do.”

He could track Emiya down so that he could track Ishtar to track down-

Their eyes were meeting as Gilgamesh paused in his thinking. Tracking someone to track someone to track a person was impractical. He had a flawless tracker before himself. He did not require the assistance of a useless goddess. He could use the man before himself. The man himself was already groaning, smacking himself.

“I could be tracking her.”

“Caster, if you do not-“

But the man didn’t let him finish the threat. The rune was already being formed in the air, a rush of his mother tongue escaping him before the rune flew to the floor. The two of them were running, shoving aside servants as they went. Man, woman, child; it did not matter at this time. They were all after the same goal. They all wanted the same thing.

Hakuno.

They rushed every corridor, took every turn there could have been. The rune stopped at a door, taking a moment before it slipped beneath the gap.

“The rayshift,” Caster Cu breathed.

So she had run off.

She must have gone to Uruk. It would be safe for her. Away from the servant, she would be able to relax and heal as she needed to heal. The servants, the palace, and the people knew of her as one of his wives. They treated her with the average amount of respect, much to his and Archer’s disgust. The advisors still hinted towards Ishtar for a queen consort, but there would be none of that.

Gilgamesh Caster sighed, leaning against the wall.

“She will be safe in Uruk.”

Cu nodded. “Your people spoil her. She is probably napping at this very moment.”

“No doubt.”

He should be doing the same.

Archer and Enkidu were heading their way down the hall, both of them running. Their eyes drifted over the two of them, surprised for a full moment before Archer narrowed his gaze.

“What are you doing here, Caster?”

“There’s two of us,” Cu commented, motioning between them.

“I have come to see to where Hakuno is. It would seem that she has rayshifted to my home. Understandably, she knows where safety is. She understands how a powerful king’s kingdom can provide the kind of security and backup that she needs at this time. Even if the servant has followed or attempted to follow, they do not stand a chance against my generals and my advisors.” He couldn’t help the arrogant tone that came at that. Hakuno was fine. They could proceed-

“You truly believe such?” Archer pushed through them. “I must see her for myself. Your arrogance is nauseating.”

Enkidu shrugged as they passed, following the man into the chambers.

“Caster,” Gilgamesh Caster motioned Cu towards the control room. “Shift us to Babylon. We must see to our woman, I suppose.”

He ran dutifully, spinning his staff as he went. They were going to be leaving within moments. Archer was still tense though. Despite the good news, the man seemed intent on being displeased with the whole ordeal.

Personally, he felt nothing but relief.

Hakuno would no doubt be in one of the sets of robes that he had commissioned for her, lounging amongst one of the gardens. Her brown hair would be adorned in blooms no doubt, her wounds from the fight already healed through the deep, undying love of their mother.

She would greet them in a regretful but pleased manner.

He would no doubt find Archer becoming difficult for a few moments as well. He’d lecture and annoy both himself and Hakuno. They would have to indulge the man until either Enkidu would do something to turn the man away or Hakuno would say something persuasive. Plain and average as she was, the woman had a great tenacity for keeping with him and staying focused on goals. She’d be stubborn and radiant in her defiant ways.

His hands curled as the room illuminated.

There was no doubt in his mind. He was touch starved, touch deprived. A part of him longed to rewind this day, to take the woman into his arms instead of the paperwork and ensure that she understood where her body and power needed to remain. He wanted to take her on his own desk, to show her his vigor and where he needed her.

His skin practically burned from the isolation he had put himself under with the loss of Siduri and with the mountain of work he had buried himself beneath. Nothing sounded better than Hakuno’s body against his own.

Nothing.

Enkidu’s hand slipped around his arm, their hand moving along their arm.

They knew. Without words or gestures or anything, they seemed to know the depths of this situation. The repercussions of what her loss from their side meant. Caster closed his eyes, taking in what little comfort this presence at his side could give.

But he had surrendered Enkidu so long ago. It was hard to welcome the touch. Hakuno had never been lost to him. She had never suffered and been apart from his side.

The world shifted around them, sand drifting before their eyes.

Sand?

“The caster cannot do a proper rayshift,” Archer hissed.

“That makes no sense. It is a straightforward process. He has no reason to fail in his shifting this time. I had him assist with shifting many times before.”

He paused as Enkidu and Archer moved forward, looking around.

They were in Nippur.

The buildings were the same useless style, plain and nondescript. The people in the city were looking at them oddly, giving them a wide berth as they walked. No, ran. All of the people were running. Guards were moving in their direction.

“Finally,” Archer cracked his knuckles, looking around at them all in promise.

“Where is your king?” Caster roared. “I demand to speak to the diplomat and the king of Nippur!”

Archer glared at him as the other guards stood their ground.

All of them stood their ground. Weapons were still raised. They were still ready to fight them to the death.

What the hell was this about? It had been a long time since he had waged war on Nippur. Negotiations and long trades had ensured that when he arrived in this country, he was well received. The women normally flocked to him. The men normally were cordial with him. Aside from the politics, which were tense over the prayers towards Ereshkigal, things were good. Things were more than well.

There was no reason for this.

“They want to die,” Archer hissed, opening the gates and pulling out a sword. Those red eyes were looking to Enkidu. “What say you, Enkidu?”

“They’re wanting to let us blow steam,” Enkidu replied, letting their chains drop down from another set of gates. “I don’t see any qualms in finishing what has been started.”

“Wait!”

The guards pulled back. Enkidu was dropping their weapon before they were running. Their arms wrapped around the woman immediately, lips pressing to the woman’s cheeks as she huddled close. Archer was also calming at the sight of the woman.

“Shamhat!” Enkidu’s smile was radiant. “What are you doing in Nippur?”

“Please! I need you and Caster.” Shamhat looked over at them. “My king, it is Ishtar. She is severely wounded!”

The woman spoke of this as though it were a problem.

Archer laughed as well, shaking his head. “Shall I reward the champion who decided to place Ishtar in her rightful place? What did she do?”

“It was a beast who shared you visage!” Shamhat looked to Enkidu. “A viper of a being. He had scales on his body and has taken to hoarding away Hakuno. I was trying to call, but there was no answer on the phone. Hakuno had to bend her leg back into place and went to fight him. I have not seen her since.”

“HE HAS COME HERE?”

The amusement was gone. Those eyebrows were narrowed, his snarling lip in full effect as he was stalking forward towards the harimtu.

“HE DARES TO TOUCH WHAT IS MINE IN MY OWN HOME?”

“He has killed Nanna,” Shamhat breathed. “Before Ishtar’s own eyes. He severed the god’s head. I saw his head roll across the throne room myself.” Those eyes were filling with tears, Enkidu’s body wrapping around her as the woman shook her head. “I have never seen the goddess so distraught. She has no one, by her own words. She has lost her father, just as her vessel did so long ago. She weeps with the souls lost to Ereshkigal.”

Nanna had not been a cruel god. Cunning and deceptive at times, but never cruel. Killing him before his own daughter…

Caster looked over at Archer, noting the fists that curled.

“He harmed Hakuno again?”

“Her leg was broken. I gave her treatment to heal the wound. The herbs that you all gave me.” She smiled softly before shaking her head again. “It may have been in vain. Hakuno went to keep the beast from seeing us escape.”

“Archer.”

“He’s caused this then?” Archer looked around at the guards still waiting, armed and prepared for fighting.

“We have come to speak to your diplomat,” Caster warned them.

“Come,” Shamhat told them. “Ishtar sought asylum amongst these people. I will take you to her.”

Enkidu motioned them along, taking no room for argument.

Hakuno was barely healed, facing off with the viper of a servant in their home. Whatever had happened, the man had managed to defeat his army. He had managed to take over Uruk.

“We need to go,” Archer growled.

“We need an army,” Caster murmured. Their people were nothing more than pawns now. They would no doubt think what Hakuno had mentioned to Archer, that the servant looked like them. They would think they were serving their king.

If they wanted to defeat such a beast, then they needed to fight the beast themselves. They needed to find themselves fodder to sacrifice to their own people so that they could reach the palace.

“Ideas?” Archer looked his way as they walked towards the palace of Nippur.

Ideas were in short supply.

Begging would be effective, but degrading. The army and the family would simply take over Uruk and they would have no kingdom. Threatening was useless without backup. That would defeat the point of asking for an army. Asking in and of itself?

Well, that was uncalled for.

No, they needed to-

“Ereshkigal,” Archer murmured.

“Hmm?”

Archer looked over at him. “Last month, when you were enjoying that rest of yours, Hakuno and I saw to the diplomat of Nippur. There was some nonsense and lack of respect for Ereshkigal. You know of Hakuno’s enjoyment of time with the goddess of the underworld.”

The aggravating relationship, yes. “I’m aware.”

Archer smirked, his prideful strut returning as he walked. “I saw to telling him of his folly. Hakuno and I earned a favor of him, but if Ereshkigal was displeased enough.”

Lying.

The archer king was giving the idea of lying and calling a favor.

It was clever. The diplomat would see trouble in their future for the slight. They could claim that the beast was simply a creation from the work of an angered Ereshkigal. They could demand that the country repair the issues within Uruk through repentance via their army.

“You and Enkidu must speak to Ereshkigal once I secure negotiations with the royal family,” Caster told the man. “Whatever we do, it must be quick. Hakuno cannot last fighting with the berserker for long. She will see death before she sees us if we take too long.”

“I will protect what is mine,” Archer replied. “Once the army is secured, I am going into Uruk and retrieving my woman.”

“We are retrieving our woman,” Caster countered.

Those red eyes were meeting his own again as they heard Ishtar in the distance.

“It’s about damn time! I had to watch your damn woman grossly snap her leg back into place and wear the blood of my father! Get in here and heal me so I can set fire to Uruk! I don’t want a single man to live after this!”

“We shouldn’t heal her,” Archer muttered.

“She is best left as is,” Caster agreed, continuing passed the goddess as Shamhat stared after them. The guards at the doorway of the entrance stared at them as they approached.

“We need to speak to the king,” Archer told them.

“We are here to inform the king of his mistakes. Stand aside unless you would like all of the underworld treading upon the earth once more,” Caster added.

The guards moved.

“We’ll return, Enkidu,” Archer promised the clay being. “See to your woman and the useless goddess. Do as you see fit.”

The goddess’ screams of outrage followed after them, that shrill voice grating at Caster’s ears as they found themselves in the throne room.


	7. Bleeding Heart

He was handsome.

As the sun rose up over the horizon outside and the sounds of the birds and the breeze slipped in through the windows of the palace chambers, Hakuno found herself looking over at the man pressed against her. That shoulder length blond hair had fallen into his face, obscuring some of the man’s face. The scales lightly gleaming from his forearms, no doubt a consequence of becoming a berserker through the grail, were almost impossible to see.

Had she met the man in this manner, she would have thought it was merely Archer or Caster. She would have curled up in bed like she normally did, pressing her lips lightly to his shoulder or his cheek. She would have joked that he was sleeping in for once, a sign of aging perhaps? Was he getting that old already?

Caster would have laughed, pulling her in and looking for gray hair.

Archer would have growled at her, nipping her lip as he would kiss her in punishment for such blasphemy.

But this wasn’t Archer and it wasn’t Caster. This man, with all the violence and hatred in his body, was someone entirely his own.

The words he had spoken had been as potent and extreme as all of his other actions.

Sit on the throne and watch him destroy the world.

Never be seen again.

The man was going to end up getting himself killed for no other reason than he was without limitations. He was without any kind of barriers or sense. What she needed to do was try to find order with him. There had to be a way to help him.

Justifying his actions would mean ignoring the consequences and the fallout that had happened thus far. She couldn’t say that he had been right. Saying that he was wrong would only piss him off.

Condemning him for his actions altogether would mean pissing him off as well. This was not a man afraid of becoming violent and killing anything or anyone who stood in his way. He had broken her leg, wounded her again and again when she was in Chaldea. If she opposed him entirely, then there would be nothing more than more pain and more wounds.

While that was okay, she would survive thanks to Archer’s giving her immortality, it didn’t necessarily appeal to her to be treated like a punching bag.

Hakuno watched the man sleeping soundly, thinking about things more carefully now.

She had discussed situations like this with Caster before.

Where Archer had been insistent that she did not need to learn about the customs of women in Uruk since she was his woman and had been with him long enough to know what he expected of her; Caster had been much more informative.

Women didn’t always end up in proper, happy marriages. They didn’t always become pleased with their husbands. Ishtar’s maidens, therefore, were there to assist with these issues. Usually in terms of political marriages and wives dealing with absurd kings and people.

The women would preach the methods of tolerance.

Those were the ones that she needed to speak to right now. If she could manage it, she needed to get to Ishtar’s temple and ask how to make working with Berserker possible. The queen consorts in other kingdoms handled their spouses in this manner.

She wouldn’t last otherwise.

He had killed the advisors. He had almost killed the generals. He had threatened the lives of Ur and Nippur blooded people who crossed into Uruk’s land. He had called war on them.

Just-

She didn’t know how to rule.

Everything about this situation was politics and kingship, mind games and instinct. She had no idea how to move at this point. What did she even say to him when he awakened? Thanks for the good sex, please stop killing people and hurting people?

Yes, because that would work so well.

Gods, she needed Caster here right now.

Caster would have directed her entirely on this matter in the same way he had directed her on handling diplomats from other kingdoms surrounding Uruk. Hell, Archer would have probably been helpful in some capacity. A little blunt and foolish here and there, but he would have gotten the job done.

Instead she had no phone, no video screen; nothing that could help. She had herself and her wits.

Parading naked through the corridors was a one-time bravery affair as well.

A hand stroked along her skin, pulling her thoughts away from her planning. Looking down, she could see the man slowly awakening. His eyes were still closed, his fingers moving gently over her skin. As she watched, Hakuno found him pressing his lips to her belly. A soft murmuring of Sumerian escaped him, sounding older, far different from the Sumerian she was used to hearing in the city.

It sounded like the chants and songs that the people would sing during ceremonies and temple practices. The language of old, if that were even fathomable.

Hakuno found herself moving a hand through the man’s hair, brushing it back softly from his face. Those red eyes looked up at her, clear for once and filled with so many different things. It was nearly impossible to imagine what was on his mind. War was not one of those things. Violence was the furthest, judging by the way those eyes simply stared so clearly and opening in her direction.

Berserker Gil looked so much like his other selves.

She held his cheek, having no other plan in mind for her hands. Once more, she found herself simply enjoying the feeling of her hands on his face. The golden king, in all his splendor and in his natural environment, seemed so much like a lion at times. Majestic and dangerous, beautiful but deadly.

His eyes narrowed as she watched, that elegance turning sour. His hand covered hers, his body moving over her until his lips were pressed to hers. Almost punishingly, she found herself being kissed. Her body was being pressed into the mattress, her body useless under his. There was nothing tired about the way he moved or touched her. Nothing said that he was going easy.

“Gilgamesh,” Hakuno breathed.

“You are far calmer than I had expected,” he told her, pulling back slightly. That golden hair hung like a curtain, blocking her off from the outside world.

“What did you expect?”

“Asking such questions comes with answers I don’t believe you want to hear,” the berserker replied simply. His eyes drifted over her again. “I find myself intrigued by this though. How far does your resolve go, I wonder...”

Exactly why she needed someone to help.

She wasn’t going to last as this man’s toy.

“I need to visit the temples today.”

“Useless. Don’t bore me, harimtu.”

“Uruk expects their royals to be visiting the temples and paying respects-“

“I will denounce the gods if I must.”

Damn him.

Hakuno scowled at him. “I want to visit the temples.”

“Why?”

“To pray.”

“Why?”

“Because that is what people who believe in a higher power do. They pray and they have those of great power listen.”

Gilgamesh sat up, his chest and the scales there now showing to their prime. His smile was almost threatening in how it looked, his head tilting slightly. “You wish to pray to higher powers, then fine. I am as high a power that you will find. I have destroyed my world and all in it once before. There is none that have stood before me and survived. You, alone, have been permitted extended life before me. Tell me of these feeble prayers of yours and I will listen.”

He would exploit, a voice much like Caster’s said in the back of her mind.

Of course he would. To hear out people’s prayers were to hear people at their most vulnerable. She couldn’t say a word about her situation or her fears without him knowing that she was faltering before him. Resolving the problem by telling the problem that it was a problem was the opposite of help.

“Well?”

“I want to know you better.”

Half truth. She wanted to know him better and know how to handle him better. She wanted to know how to survive around him.

The man laughed, the sound making her breathing stop a moment.

“Are you one of those women who leaves their heart in bed with the first man they lay with?”

“I would like to know you better in order to work with you better. I don’t care about romance.” Bad enough Gilgamesh had been having his crotch shine when they were going through BB’s labyrinth. She really didn’t need another flaunting, sexualized king parading around in her life, especially one who would follow up his sexual escapades with murder.

As though she were one to talk.

“You don’t care? You were not so shy about such things over the course of the evening.” He simply snaked his way up against her body, those hands moving along her chest as he went to murmur in her ear. “Your body begged me, my strange created other half, begged me to the very limits of your body’s strength. I could feel it when I took you. I could see it in your eyes as I murmured such promises that I have in mind for you.”

“Yet you still call me a harimtu.” Hakuno leaned into that touch, unable to help herself. “Everyone knows that harimtu are given about as much respect as a pretty necklace or jewel.” Best seen, never heard in more important matters. Archer was the only one who seemed to hold them to higher esteem.

The berserker pinched her, punishingly. A tame response in light of everything. “You are the one who informed me of your status. Do you deny being a harimtu?”

Considering she had taken him in this bed, despite the flaws and the sins he had committed upon the people of Uruk…

No, a harimtu wasn’t a farfetched idea in her own regard.

“I plan to take your body again. Spread your legs before me,” the man ordered.

“I plan to visit the temples when you are done.”

“You are not in need of visiting the temples. I will be soon killing all the gods. They will have no place in this slowly forming Uruk.”

“Are you afraid of what I can accomplish with a visit to a single temple?”

The words were out of her mouth before she could call them back. The man’s face pulled back, coming into view as she felt her legs pulled apart, her body open to his advances.

“Do you seek to anger me so early?”

“You slept in,” Hakuno told him.

“A king does not need to rise with the sun. The king is the sun. I am what makes the world grow and I am the difference between life and death. Do not seek to test that balance. There are other ways to kill other than directly.”

His hands were moving along her legs, heading towards her thighs.

“I want to visit the temples once,” Hakuno argued. “Five minutes.”

“No.”

She needed to see at least Ishtar’s damn temple. She was already hating the fact that none of the temples were located in the palace. She couldn’t necessarily run from Berserker either.

Think, Hakuno. Think.

The man was lining himself up. His body pushing into hers.

Her gaze flickered over him as he started to move, her body already accepting what was happening. It wasn’t like she was not interested on some level. This was still Gilgamesh. Despite how horrible he was, it was still him.

Gods, there had to be something.

It almost hurt thinking through everything she knew about the man.

Caster would be swayed by her breasts and coffee. He would have been intellectually stimulated by all kinds of topics and would turn around in an argument if it intrigued him enough. Archer would have been swayed by pity and boredom. Jealousy and sexual interest would have driven him forth as well. She would mention Emiya and the man would be chastising her while he went along with the plan.

Berserker was interested in her body in the same way that a passing stranger was in a one night stand. There was no arrogance in the normal manner she had become accustomed to. He didn’t care about a good argument-

“You called me queen yesterday.”

He was pushing into her deeper, holding her legs open a little more.

“A queen,” she argued, “has to be properly crowned. No one is going to understand if you don’t go by some form of order. You have to build up to things. You can’t simply call me queen to people that you slaughter or chase out of the palace. They will never share the word with others.”

He paused, leaving himself buried deep within her. His arm slammed against the headboard, making the bed rattle. “You are not reacting as you should. I am taking you. Beg, claw, breathe my name.”

Think, she insisted to herself mentally. Think through it. Do not give in.

The man tilted his head, cupping one of her cheeks. “Do you find it unpleasant this morning? It is true, last night you could imagine my others in the torchlight.”

“I am asking to go to the temples-“

“You are defying me.”

She shivered, feeling him pulling back, moving over that spot inside her that made her thoughts scatter. Her hands delved deeper into the sheets, eyes closing as she bit her tongue.

Focus.

Focus.

The man thrust into her again, beginning a pace against her that was only to be reciprocated. Her hands remained firmly against the sheets, her eyes glued to his face as he moved.

“Gilgamesh,” she murmured.

“You do not need to be seen by them.” The man leaned in, moving faster as he held the headboard with one hand. “Your mind, your body, and your spirit are mine to do with as I please.”

Damn it all.

She wasn’t going to last like this. Already her tongue was bleeding. His body was moving too well against her own. Hakuno found herself moving despite her best control efforts. Her arm wrapped around his shoulders, her other hand pressing to his chest as she forced him to move back, her hips moving to meet his thrusts.

Those eyes moved down towards her chest. She could feel his breath on her skin as she leaned in closer. Her lips pressed to his, pulling his attention to her.

It felt better to stop thinking for a moment. It felt better not to stress this. Her body moved faster, taking more of him. Again, she felt his hands along her body, holding her too tightly. Those lips of his moved as though he were trying to prove a point with the way he was touching her. She just let slip the slightest of sounds, finding him holding her to him more in response.

“I will slaughter any god or goddess that speaks to you,” he told her.

“I know.”

“I will kill my other-“

Yanking his face to hers again, she kissed him hard, returning the harsh embrace. Her hands yanked at his hair a little, making sure he felt the pain.

Fuck him.

Her body moved faster, ignoring the hands trying to hold her in place and forcing her muscles to tense.

The gusto in him was gone. The words and declarations out the window. He shoved her back, focusing in on the moment. She could feel him moving faster and faster, spilling into her after a moment.

Her body shuddered against him, the edge she had been approaching now come and gone. Her body simply let go, mind lost in the feeling of bliss that came from this kind of interaction. Her hands moved over his chest, pushing him onto the bed beside her. Her body climbed onto his, her body looming over him.

Everything hurt. It hurt like it was the first time. He was rougher with her, unwilling and unable to see what his actions did to her. She was probably bruised. She ignored it.

All her gaze and mind were focused on was the body beneath her. She lined herself up with his body, taking him inside of her again as he slowly descended from that high. Her eyes locked with his, her words coming from the moment; nothing more.

“Confess to me.”

She could feel him hardening. She could see his interest peaked.

“Confess. To me,” she repeated. “I am your harimtu, am I not?”

He pulled her in closer, his teeth biting into her shoulder as he held her close. Her hands smacked against his chest, trying to push him back.

“Gilgamesh-“

“You are mine,” he said once again. “Foolish creation, naïve believer of the gods.”

“Gil-“

“I will give you your five minutes, but you will be going to say goodbye to them. All of the gods. You may pick your temple. The people will see you surrender to me, give in to being the queen of Uruk. I will prove there are no such things as gods, merely overpowered humans. When they are dead, we will fight war after war until there is nothing left. Whomever remains will see what I have planned for you.”

“Fine.”

She would hold down things in Uruk until the others arrived. If Ishtar’s maidens could give her advice, then she would follow it to the letter, allowing the berserker to be controlled to some extent. She could feel her insides once again flooded, his head resting against her shoulder.

No fleeting touches of those lips. No smug remarks.

The man gave himself a moment and pulled out, leaving her on the bed and standing up. His robes came back into fruition on his body, burned in places and covered in more obvious scales. He began to walk towards the door, his stride slower than before.

“I have generals to speak with. I am attacking Ur at dawn tomorrow.”

She needed to get a messenger out to Ur before then.

The man glanced back her way. “Before you think to warn them, think carefully on this: Should Ur find out about the war coming their way, they will have more time to prepare. You will lose your people and then Ur army will be able to flood the streets of Uruk. You will lose not only the army that we have but the people and children in this kingdom as well.”

Damn him.

“You have already alerted them to the impending fight. Even as we speak, there could be an army advancing in. Uruk could be in flames before the twilight reaches the edges of the Euphrates.”

“I won’t let them destroy Uruk.”

“Oh?”

It was very likely that they could retaliate in that manner. The king had threatened their people. If anything, she needed messengers to go out to the two kingdoms. A soldier or two-

“Once a sword is out, there is no putting it back in its sheath,” Berserker warned. “You are with the Uruk people or you are against them.”

“I won’t let them destroy Uruk,” Hakuno told him again, her voice softer. "Whatever it takes. No matter what you think or decide, I won't let Uruk fall. This Uruk dies after me." There were no options right now, but she would find a way to fix things. She just needed someone’s help. Ishtar’s maidens would be a start. Maybe they could communicate with Ishtar. Ask if she had found Caster and Archer yet.

“You look beautiful like that,” the berserker complimented, his gaze drifting over her body. She could feel his eyes on her as though he were still in the bed, still touching her intimately. She just returned his attention, waiting. “How is it the creations of this world are far more valuable than the creatures who themselves made them?”

Hakuno stared at him as he laughed, turning and heading out the door.

“You have until the ringing of the first temple bells to visit your temple and pray to whatever mongrel you wish, but once the bells ring, it shall be only my body that yours prays to. You shall be harimtu for me and me alone. And you have a war to command your people through. Their lives are in your hands, Hakuno.”

Her stomach twisted as the door shut, her body moving off the bed as quickly as her sore muscles and body would allow. Her hands went for the robes left in the chamber for her, pulling them around her body and trying her best to tie them into place. There was no time for perfection.

She needed to hurry.


	8. Sanctus

She was out the door before he could come around again. Her feet were taking the steps of the ziggurat two at a time. Her robes flowed out behind her. The people of Uruk were staying inside, avoiding being seen. They feared this new side of the king just as she feared what Berserker would do next.

Her feet moved across the earth.

Ishtar’s temple was the furthest from the palace. It had been placed there for a reason, which was pretty much that the king hated her. He placed her there so the people could worship their patron goddess, but she would remain on the edges of the land. She’d be out of his sight, out of his mind. The placement was a kissoff. A polite, you may go this far but no further.

Her hands shoved the doors of the sacred place open. Her eyes went to the women lounging upon chaises. Their eyes drifted to her, taking in the haphazard tying job she had done on her robes. She could feel their gazes sliding passed her.

Effectively judged and convicted of being unworthy of time.

“I have come to speak to the head priestess.”

“Our goddess has declared that none of Uruk shall be seen. Our head temple maiden has vacated to see to her health,” one of the women replied.

Another snorted, running her gaze over her person again. “We are to remain isolated inside the temple. Please leave immediately.”

“Gilgamesh is on a warpath. Do you think the doors will be enough?” She looked back, biting her lip. The bells would chime soon. She would need to get back. Already, she was wasting too much time. She should warn Ninsun of what’s going on. Maybe Enki. Hopefully Shamhat would be a help in warning them away from the kingdom.

“He will not test the power of the gods,” the women told her.

Gods.

The sound that came from that response was foreign. She wasn’t sure where it came from, but it sounded so much like Archer. The laugh bubbled forth, her eyes upon the lot of them. Audacious, selfish- Gods, but she was trying to save these women!

It was the stress that had her laughing. She wasn’t becoming more like Gilgamesh.

“What is so funny, woman?”

They were all scowling, drifting like dust in the room. Useless. Entirely useless.

“I ran all the way here,” Hakuno told them, trying to calm the laughter. Her hand swept through her hair as she looked at them all. “I gave up my freedom for being able to have the chance to talk to you all. I need to know how women handle political marriages with tyrants and lunatics as their spouses. I came to seek guidance and you all think a door is going to keep the king from slaughtering you all.”

“Arrogant-“

“He’s already killed a god,” Hakuno interrupted, turning her gaze to the one that had went to speak. “Ishtar’s father is dead. There won’t be a thing that stops him if he puts his mind to things, but I’m tougher than I look. I need to know how to survive long enough to stop him from killing you all.”

A couple of the women looked towards the one furthest away, the one that had dared to call her arrogant. That woman in particular closed her eyes.

A moment passed, silence filling the room as Hakuno tried to think of what next. Who else could she speak with?

“Our goddess is in fear,” the woman said after a moment. Her eyes opened. “She lingers outside the city, where the people still hold love and the royals still give favor. You came seeking guidance on matters of the city and matters that could improve that of Uruk. I sense… Intentions to save the city.”

Had she not just said that?

“Irnini, Ishhara, Inanna,” the woman motioned three of the ladies forward. “Straighten the poor woman’s attire and inform her in the ways of our goddess’ handling of men.”

They flocked around her. Immediately, there were a number of hands on her, the temple maidens lifting their noses at this and that. She could feel a rough tug, her hair being lifted from her shoulders to be tied into place.

“Do not set boundaries,” the woman fixing the front of her robes told her. “Tyrants will test these boundaries. Those who have lost their mind will only see the boundaries as goals.”

“Speaking of that,” another piped up. “Pick your battles wisely. A good other half knows when it is wise to hold their tongue and when they need to fight. Seek out the ramifications of their actions. Remember their mistakes and remember what could have been done to make things better, bearing in mind that it must suit the other’s taste.”

“What she means,” the third offered, still fixing her hair, “is that you can make wise suggestions, using those faults if they dig their heels in too much.”

“But you must control your emotions.” The second pointed out.

The other two nodded, agreeing. “She’s right.”

The second continued, “know when you are at your limits. Find ways to escape from the chaos, if only for a moment. Pace yourself and do not become overwhelmed by the challenge you have ahead of you.”

“Do not let him take your happiness in victories,” the third mentioned. “If you show that the decision you steered them towards pleased you and give them something that they wanted, then they will repeat the action. The lion will always devour the human if their own master rubs their chin and ears. Men in the state that our king is in are no different.”

“No boundaries, pick battles, keep calm, show happiness,” Hakuno reiterated.

“And forgiveness.”

The other two looked at the first, frowning at her.

“Forgiveness is not natural to a person. It is not within ourselves and our arrogance to show forgiveness. Yet, it is this talent and skill that benefits the woman more than any other. It is through this skill that a woman becomes close to that of a goddess. A firm, but gentle soul can break through madness, tear down the prison of guilt and self-loathing, and cleanse a man of sin.”

“Inanna is right,” the second replied. “Ishtar would be ever proud of her second head maiden.”

Inanna nodded. “You must always be aware of their self-depreciation and their self-loathing. No being is meant for darkness, not truly. Over time, their hatred and their anger will kill them.”

Well, Gilgamesh was immortal, but-

“What is your role around the king?”

Hakuno paused.

She could not tell them harimtu. Queen didn’t sound right in her mind either.

“I am… I’m not sure, but he has forced me to sit in his throne and he talks of me being around when he plans out the war.”

“You are important then,” Inanna replied. “And, in being so, you are in danger more than any of us.” The woman pulled the necklace from her person, handing it over and wrapping her fingers around the amulet. “We cannot provide support with you in such shadows within the palace. A woman requiring the aid in handling and serving their lover should have the support of others. Our temple can only offer you this amulet, bidding you to pray to Ishtar and to the gods for the strength to carry out their will. Your body bears the markings of attention.”

Her face burned a little at the observation.

“We can only hope your actions have created peace, in the slightest of senses. We cannot hope for much with your body and face so plain. Pray to Ishtar for a late blooming, dear woman. Pray for your prowess in bed to be enough.”

They were pulling away before she could say anything, pushing her towards the door.

“Wait-“

“We cannot help you. Already the doors of Ishtar’s temple have been open too long.”

“Indeed,” the women still lounging told her from their places.

“I need more-“

“A woman must use intuition. She must think and be aware of herself. You must be wise and use what was given to you by the gods.”

Her body was shoved from the temple. Already she was sensing the doors closing behind her. A board could be heard sliding into place over the doors. Just like that, her hopes for more were squashed. Her eyes drifted back to the ziggurat.

There was little time.

Once again, her feet were carrying her through the city. Unlike before, her robes were not hindering her. They flew out in a fan of color, showing where she was to the ziggurat. She was rushing the stairs as the first chime sounded.

Ever gazing upwards, she could see Berserker waiting.

His arms were crossed, his attire had been swapped for armor, dark and red instead of the usual golden color. Hakuno slowed her pace as she drew closer.

“Creation of the Moon,” he greeted.

“Gilgamesh.”

He moved forward a step, holding out his hand. “You have said your farewells to the gods, I assume?”

The amulet practically burned against her chest. Hakuno was thankful in that moment that she was larger chested and that the amulet was hanging underneath her robes. At least like this, it stood a chance of not being seen. She nodded to the man.

“I have said goodbye.”

“Then you are in time. The generals speak of the army of Ur heading in this direction. They intend to burn down your kingdom.”

“Our kingdom.”

He raised a brow.

“Uruk is our kingdom. It is the land that you ruled over when you were younger. It was where you found happiness.” For a time, she added mentally.

“This land means nothing. They are fodder.”

“Without them, we have no home.”

The man reached out the rest of the distance, taking her hand into his own and pulling her closer. She could feel something being placed around her neck, another necklace, it seemed. Ishtar’s amulet was barely hidden.

“Do you think it matters to me if I have a home?”

She closed her eyes, thinking. “You are strength, Gilgamesh. You’re the one who fights lions, who kills Humbaba. You are the one who cuts down the Cedar forest and has glory.”

“You say such pretty words.” Berserker laughed softly. “But what do you say about the Ur army approaching-“

“Kill them.”

The man paused at her side.

The temple maidens had told her to pick her fights. They had told her to find compromises, in a matter of words. Looking up at the man, she could see the glint in his eyes at the opportunity she was laying at his feet. Much like Cu Berserker and Lancelot Berserker, he found pleasure in the pain of others. He liked the idea of testing his strength, in every manner possible.

“Don’t leave a single Ur citizen in that army standing,” Hakuno told him. “If they are so loved by their gods, then Ereshkigal will arrive to deliver their souls to the underworld. I won’t allow a single one of our people to be hurt by their retaliation.”

The generals were moving towards them, their faces paling as her words rang out in the open air.

“Magnificent,” the king murmured. “You harden with every encounter. The look in your eyes, the sheer disgust you present upon your face; you allow no room for argument.” He leaned in closer. “I will take you to the edge of the battlefields, my created other half. You must watch me carve your command into their bones. I want to see your cold words echo in your ears as the people die before your eyes.”

“If I were to watch, then there would be none to watch over Nippur’s actions.”

“They are not on their way.”

“They will be.”

Berserker went to speak, pausing as she spoke up again.

“I want to be here to greet you as you return.”

“Are you incapable?”

“If you are the sun, then I must be the moon. The moon does not rise with the sun.”

Her voice came out harsher than intended. She wasn’t sure where the words came from, but with the sun pounding upon her and the man before her hiding her face from its light, all she could think of was how much she wanted to climb into bed. Already she was exhausted from the man.

“I will bring blood to our bed,” he warned.

“I carry blood on my hands. Your trail of red means nothing.”

She’d spent enough time here to know how to speak at least with a bit of rhetoric. The man before her was hesitating. His hands drifted to her face, pulling her in and kissing her.

Her mind froze.

Immediately, her body was reacting. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders, her mouth moved against his, seeking more. The man’s attentions had softened. His touch, his affection; she knew this. She knew this all-encompassing feel, this warmth and the glint in those eyes.

There was a part of him.

Gods, but there was a part of him.

She moved a hand to her chest, wrapping her hand around the necklaces clinking together on her chest. Her eyes drifted up to his as she pulled back.

“I will kill all of them,” he swore to her.

She nodded.

The movement was immediate. His hands grasped one of the swords of the generals, slamming it into the chest of the general in the center.

Hakuno’s blood froze.

“You are not of Uruk blood. You bear no hold in Uruk. You are merely the Ur citizen, who thought himself to be able to live amongst her generals. You sought to bear the colors of these people and live within these city boundaries.”

They hadn’t all-

Her hand gripped the necklaces she was wearing tighter, watching the life drain from the man’s eyes. She could see Berserker twisting the blade a moment before he yanked it out.

“We move now,” he told them.

They marched passed her, Gilgamesh’s eyes drifting to her.

“You stare at me impassively.”

“I stare at someone who wants to protect our world.” She hesitated in her words. The man seemed to not hear it.

“Enter the palace, my fiery moon.” He headed passed her as well. “I will make quick work of them. No Uruk blood shall be spilt this day. When I return, I return for your body beneath my own, welcoming the sins I commit today without qualm.”

She waited until he was down the stairs before she stepped forward.

Her eyes drifted over the man that he had killed.

The man had been innocent. No crimes, no sins. He had simply been of a citizenship entirely separate from this land’s own. Now, because of something so easily changed, because of circumstances beyond his control; red poured forth from his chest. Swelling into a puddle around his person. His eyes, still wide from shock and a moment of fear, looked into the burning sunlight.

All she could do was close her eyes.

Step by step, she moved around the body, once more entering the palace. Her hand still gripped her necklaces tight as she moved. Her eyes still could see the body once she was inside. Each step brought her closer to the throne. Hakuno found herself settling upon the plush seat, gripping the golden arms and looking towards the entrance.

The goddess’ maidens had informed her to pick her battles.

They had warned her to handle her emotions.

Do not let the man limit her joy.

She wasn’t sure what was happening, but there was a wetness on her face as she saw the red puddle entering into view of the entrance. Her vision swam as her hands complained of her tight hold of the arms of this throne.

How many would die before this kingdom’s true king came?

How long could she simply wait?

Berserker was going to keep doing this. He would find other ways to snake around her, just as she had slipped around him in visiting Ishtar. Waiting him out, maintaining balance to some degree wasn’t enough.

Uruk needed more.

The wetness on her cheeks grew more obvious. She couldn’t see the entrance anymore.

Caster and Archer would arrive too late. Already, there would be no repair for Ur. Nippur would never be able to be reasoned with. The world would fall before the two made it to this world.

Shamhat may not have made it from the city.

She may have been killed for being associated with Uruk.

“I can’t do this,” Hakuno murmured.

This kind of world, with politics and violence, with decisions of the head and callousness of the heart, were Nero’s realm. This was the kind of thing that the emperor of Rome would have thrived at. Iskander and Gilgamesh both would have excelled. Enkidu would have excelled, calling upon the comfort of being a figure of clay and not of flesh and blood.

Herself though-

Gods, but she wasn’t even accustomed to sitting in the throne room before the people on her own. She wasn’t used to one on one negotiations. She had never been the axe that swung down upon a kingdom. A servant and master here and there, sure, but not this.

Her eyes drifted down to the necklace that the king had given her.

It was his own, the one he wore when he dressed down to traverse through the people and their kingdom. It was the symbol of his authority, of his power. The man had claimed her as surely as one claimed a pet.

Berserker had kissed her as Archer did. When she had kissed him before his slaughtering of the general, she had felt a moment of Archer in him. She had felt that admiration, that respect.

A couple guards peered into the room as Hakuno wiped at her eyes. Glancing over to them, she could see them hesitating. Their eyes roamed over the room, searching for a sign of the berserker that had slaughtered so many in this room.

“He is off to slaughter an opposing army,” Hakuno told them.

She could see their shoulders slump, their sighs echoing in the room.

“Remove the body from the front of the ziggurat. We will need someone to clean the palace of the blood and someone to say rites and bury the body. Please place flowers from the gardens over the burial place.”

“Lady Hakuno,” one of the guards murmured.

“We need to prepare for the king’s return,” she told him, shaking her head.

The man hesitated, looking at the other guards before that gaze returned to her. He persisted. “Lady Hakuno, we must ask…”

She waited.

“Is the king… has he gone mad?”

Hakuno closed her eyes, “Uruk is without god or goddess, left in a time of isolation and madness.” She was in isolation, unable to call for help. It felt like the man was mad. “This is not the time nor the place for that question.”

“He has always deferred to you, when matters were grave,” another of the guards murmured.

“Please take care of the body and warn the servants to clean the ziggurat. Keep them from the king’s view.”

“Lady Hakuno.”

Hakuno closed her eyes, shaking her head.

Archer and Caster were already too late.

“See if the people need guidance. I will see them for a couple hours in our king’s absence. Inform them that the king’s consort will see to them. Protect them, as best she can.”


	9. Steel Forged from Fire

The people flowed forth into the throne of the ziggurat. Endlessly. It was like the fountains themselves of Uruk had burst, sending forth a spray of people towards the palace. Hakuno found herself fighting the urge to back down.

Each and every person took advantage of the losses of people. 

“I know that your farm has been moving increasingly into your neighbor’s farmland,” Hakuno informed the citizen before her now. 

“They were from Nippur originally,“ she heard in response, just like so many of the other people. She waved a hand, in the same way she had seen Caster wave his so many times before. 

“Silence.” 

She leaned against the arm of the chair, watching the man squirm before her. Soft murmurs were coming from the guards and the spectators. Such bored people they must have been, watching political and governmental discourse as a way to pass the time. 

“Why do you insist upon building part of your world upon your neighbor’s efforts?” 

“They’re from-“

“You have informed me of this, but do you see them as rivals? Is your land so poorly tended that you must go into their land to even out your losses?” 

She wasn’t making friends with that. Damn if she could think of another way to argue though. This person was just going to go around and around with her, arguing that this person that they were taking the land of was a Nippur citizen and therefore didn’t deserve what they had worked so hard to create. 

A smart leader would make use of this distrust. They’d use this as a way to unify the people against a common enemy. 

But that was entirely off base. 

Building division would only breed more negativity. Where would it end? What would they pick at next? Physical differences? Mental differences? 

Looking at the man in front of her, she could only see the way he was shaking, the way he was looking up at her, waiting for her to change her mind. He was waiting for her to become like Berserker, telling him that the Nippur and the Ur people were lesser, insignificant. He was waiting for her to say something that would make him feel justified in taking the land of another. 

But it was land that he hadn’t done anything with. A reward for no work whatsoever on his part. Someone else out there was missing their home, missing the fruits of their labor. 

The longer she waited, making him try to think of a response that didn’t making him into the coward that he was, the more she could see the hatred building. 

There would be those that would agree with Berserker. Cowards, as Caster would have called them. Fools and mongrels, as Archer would have titled them. Those seeking and lacking the ability to gain notoriety and influence, unless a situation such as this presented itself. 

“Remove him from the palace, ensure that a couple of the guards ensure that his neighbor’s land is not encroached upon,” Hakuno commanded. 

“Our king would not allow this! He has seen the truth! The other citizens in our lands are being driven out and yet you sit there and preach for them in his absence!” 

Hakuno leaned back, holding the talisman of Ishtar in her hands. “Guards, ensure that our king does not have to hear his cowardly tongue, lest he find himself as disappointed in the Uruk people as I am.” 

The guards moved immediately, in sync with one another. The man was still yelling, but she was above hearing it. Her eyes drifted to the head of the guards. 

“My queen?” 

“Are there more?” 

The guard looked towards the door, shaking his head after a moment. “We informed them that mere bickering was to be handled by the advisors that I have accumulated for you.” 

“Thank you…” She hesitated, waiting for-

“Ellil.” 

Hakuno nodded, watching him more carefully. His face remained composed, without emotion. 

“…If I may,” he said slowly. “Why disagree with the king’s declaration against the other kingdoms?” 

“I don’t intend to let him destroy his own people. Right now he’s encouraging cowardice to come to the surface. As respectable as that is, it’s hard to see nothing but the faults of your own fellow citizens.” 

The man nodded, cheek shifting slightly as he looked towards the others guards that were slowly moving the people out. Looking more closely, she could see a tremble in his hands and legs. The guards were not the strongest, but they shouldn’t have been suffering ailment. Such a tremor was unnatural. 

It reminded her of the gods when they took mortal form. She had seen it with Ishtar sometimes, a tremor here or there, like the vessel she was in wasn’t holding her well. She reached out, patting his hand. 

“Take a moment to wander through the gardens.” 

“I should not tread anywhere too far from you.” He replied, those eyes flickered to red before returning to brown. 

She nodded, biting her lip as she glanced to the others. 

Ellil… The name was another for-

“…How long can you vessel hold, Enlil?” 

The guard blinked, those eyes glinting. “What was my tell?” 

“The twitch in your face.” 

The god in his vessel nodded. “If you can notice, then it may be possible for your king to notice as well. I will ensure that I keep my distance and try to persuade my human to keep the twitching to hands only. The guard has a strong fortitude, but he lacks the finesse that the temple maidens hold. He was all I could do in short notice.” 

She nodded again, moving to stand gingerly on her feet. She was still sore, but- “Is there anything that the gods would like that is within reason?” 

“Killing your king?” 

Her expression said enough to the god, earning a shrug. 

“It is not the fate of this kingdom to have a queen and have a war with its neighbors at this time. He messes with the flow of time, creating a world and realm beyond what is normal. With the loss of Nanna, the gods are currently trying to understand what to do about the power remaining. It is likely that someone must take on the mantel of the god’s duties.” 

“Who?” 

“Ishtar is too young, too absorbed in her own vanity. Enki is caught up in his creations. Ninsun may have to take on the duty, although others argue for someone else. She should not gain from her son’s actions.” 

Hakuno nodded, thinking carefully. “…Mortals can’t take on those abilities, can they?” 

“Your king will kill you and then us for taking on that of Nanna.” The man shook his head. “Not to mention, taking on that power would be painful.” 

“Archer and Caster-“

“They granted you life eternal, I know of this. We are aware of this.” The man settled, backing a step as the other guards returned. Once more, the stoic head guard was standing at the ready. 

“Gifts,” one of the lesser guards offered, holding up the food to her. “One of the townspeople have brought them for you.” 

Hakuno glanced down at it, feeling her stomach twist. 

“Thank you, but I think I need some air. Ellil, if you could plan to have a couple of the guards accompany me through Uruk, I think I need to simply breathe the air and see Uruk managing in our king’s absence.” 

The man nodded, setting two of the guards to work as her entourage before she was heading for the door. 

The gods were watching Uruk from the shadows. If they were found, there would be more deaths. Already, they had a dead god on their hands. Gilgamesh berserker had taken no time at all to ensure that he was dead and gone. She didn’t even know what had happened to the body. 

She was an average mage at the end of the day. 

Sure, she could bolster up herself before the people and pretend to be as strong and confident as Gilgamesh, but she would falter. 

Gods, but she was feeling the tension in her body. It wouldn’t be long before she gave in. She needed something more. She needed an extra bit of strength. 

Prayers would go unanswered. 

The gods were fearing to come before Berserker without guise. 

Chaldea was too much of a longshot. No doubt the servants and Gudako were still hunting through rooms and places to try to find her and the new servant. It would be a while until they thought to check singularities. Checking Uruk would be far into the future. 

Nanna hadn’t been strong enough to take on Gilgamesh, but maybe with the god’s power and her own…

She needed to find a way to temper Berserker. If she couldn’t temper, then she would consider killing him. 

Even thinking that made her stomach churn. Why did they have to share the same face? Archer, Caster, and Berserker… They were too much alike in features. The look that Berserker had given her when he had touched her was too similar to the other two. 

“My lady,” one of the guards pulled her from her thoughts, stopping her at the edge of the city. She looked over alongside him, noting what the other two were noting. 

Smoke. 

It billowed from the farmlands. 

“It is not the Nippur owned lands,” she noted. They were towards the east. Those were the wheat fields, required for the making of mead. The mead ensured healthy drink for the people.” 

“We need to return you to the palace and-“

She was already running, commanding them back to the palace. She stole one of their swords as she went, rushing over the bridge of the Euphrates. She stared ahead, knowing this was a fool’s errand. One of the guards, the one still with a weapon, was running after her. The other was listening to her command. 

She could see the flag waving in the air as the handful of people were working to set fire to the fields. Blood had already been spilt. 

Nippur. 

They were already retaliating. Nothing had been done. No negotiations had been attempted. They had gone forth with violence. 

Damn them. 

Hakuno leaped aside as the guard rushed towards the enemies. Seeing him run into the fray, sword swinging made sense rush through her. Two against a team? 

She moved without thinking, rushing for the flames with sword in hand. She bit into her finger, bringing blood to her lips again before she was running her hand over the side of the blade. 

Runes. 

If there was something she had learned, it was how to write runes. She blade pitched into the flames, picking them up as though she were hoisting them with her bare hand. She pulled the blade back, throwing it into the fray as the guard went down, an agonized cry speaking out into the world. 

The flames billowed into the air, like some kind of bomb rather than magic attack. The last resort runes that she had put on the weapon made the blade shatter, sending metal and fire at the Nippur insurgents. She dropped to the ground as the metal and fire came her way, using the tiny bit of magic she had left to shield herself. 

Still, she felt the cuts on her hands. She felt her energy depleting. 

Stress, long hours, and mental fatigue did not leave one with much energy to begin with. 

A few of the survivors were rushing towards her. She booked it into the fields, ignoring the scorched earth beneath her feet. She hurried around the burning crops, allowing them to get more entangled. Between the fire already on them and the crops around them, the smell of burning skin met her nose. She could hear a few dropping to their knees. 

A blade sang over her shoulder, pain wracking through her. 

Looking over her shoulder, she dove to the ground, shooting a foot out and sending the burning man to his knees. Her hands grabbed the sword, forcing it back on him and finding herself stopping as she stared down at him. 

The blade jut out from the area over his heart. Those eyes were wild, vicious. 

“Death to Uruk.” 

“Send Ereshkigal my regards.” 

She could hear shouting as more of the Uruk soldiers and people were summoned. She came forth from the fields, carefully avoiding the fire and feeling her shoulder ache. More soldiers moved towards her, pulling her away from the flames as buckets of sand and dirt were tossed onto the mess. 

Others yanked bodies from the fields, stabbing them for good measure. 

So much gore. 

She felt a hand on her back. 

“You are bleeding.” 

“I’ll heal.” 

Her eyes drifted up to the servant, watching his eyes drift over the scene. Berserker brushed a hand through his hair, pushing the blond hair from his face. 

“You may be able to heal, but going into a battle alone with your average power is foolish.” 

“I managed.” 

“You’re bleeding.” 

She moved passed him, heading through the throngs of guards and soldiers. She could hear Gilgamesh throwing out demands before following after her. 

“Why were you out of the palace?” 

“I was protecting Uruk in your absence. Why are you back so quickly?” 

“I sent soldiers ahead. There was news from the back of the group that they saw fire around Uruk. I imagine the soldiers should be-“

“Don’t make them fight alone.” Hakuno looked back at him. “If Nippur is reacting to the returning former citizens, then Ur will do the same. We’ll send the Nippur soldiers back through merchants.” 

Berserker walked alongside her, crowding her as they walked. 

“They tried to kill you.” 

“And we’re going to kill them.” 

The man leaned in closer. “No diplomacy?” 

“They tried to burn down an important product for the kingdom. I think they’ve made their point clear. Unless you suddenly don’t want to fight.” Hakuno looked over at him. “If you won’t, I will.” 

His lips pulled back into a grin she had seen so many times before. Those eyes gleamed as much as his scales did in the afternoon light. “Bloodthirsty.” 

“Protective.” 

“You are bloodthirsty. I won’t be risking your position and claim over these mongrels. They are useless to me. Should they survive the wars we shall expose them to, then so be it. Their lives have been earned. You though…” He glanced over at her. “Harimtu, you who bears my sins like a badge of honor-“

She stopped listening to him, turning her attention back to the palace. She could see Enlil in his vessel, ordering a couple guards down to her as he caught sight of her. There was no doubt that her shoulder must have sporting a gleaming splattering of blood. She could feel it dripping down her arm. Pain had sunk in, but she couldn’t feel shock. 

Stress had returned instead. 

“Hakuno,” Berserker called, pulling her to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. She glanced back, feeling him leaning in closer. He felt like the other two again as he kissed her. 

She focused on the pain. 

“I will return once Ur is nothing but ashes,” he told her. “Knowing that you will destroy your enemies should they attempt to pass through the edges of the city, I feel no need to look back.” 

“I want all our soldiers alive.” 

“What will you give me?” 

“What do I have left?” She looked up at him, seeing the pause. 

She had given him her body, her time and power. She had sat upon the throne and listened to the people for hours. The guards were looking to her since the man was doing nothing more than playing with the people like toys for his amusement. 

One of those hands was on her cheek, stroking it gently. That face moved in closer, making their conversation so much more intimate than necessary. 

“Do you regret this?” 

“What do I have to regret?” 

Her mind pleaded otherwise, but looking into those red eyes and seeing that emotion reflected in those eyes, she knew she wouldn’t have done anything different. Perhaps she was losing her mind. Her shoulders fell, her hand holding the berserker’s hand to her face. 

She could almost take a moment, lower her walls and just let herself take in the other’s presence. 

“Let Uruk go,” he murmured into her ear. “Give up on this world and give in to the pleasure and end. Falter, harimtu. If you cannot handle my sins now, the blood and body count will only climb.” 

Barking. 

Mere barking, but she could feel him holding her cheek. 

“I can handle your sins, Gilgamesh,” Hakuno replied, looking up at him. “I expect my soldiers back soon. Nippur needs to be destroyed. No one threatens Uruk. No one threatens our home.” 

The guards nearby were holding bandages, hovering just at the edge of her vision. As Berserker pulled back, she could see those eyes dull. He pushed her towards them. 

“Tend to the queen of Uruk. Order a bath and place her in my bed. I will expect her prepared for me when I return.” 

They barked acquiescence. Hakuno felt herself pulled away and towards the stairs. 

Glancing back, she could see the man moving back through the city, in the direction of Ur. As quickly as he had seemed to appear from before, he was gone. Hurrying back to the troops, preparing them for more of this bloodshed. 

The guards had her sit on the throne as they tended to the wounds in her shoulder. Salve was used, along with needle and thread. 

Ellil waited until the two were dismissed, placing a hand over her shoulder. 

“A singularity is forming.” 

Hakuno nodded. 

“You know this will bring forth a grail. With that in place, the man called king here will be able to become more powerful. He will be able to increase his strength.” 

Another quiet nod. 

The vessel-guised god lowered himself to her knees, resting his hands upon her lap. “What will you do, Hakuno, should he become more powerful? What do you hope to gain through this bloodshed?” 

“I just want Uruk safe.” 

“Your king cares not for Uruk. He would gladly slaughter them all.” 

“Then I’ll kill him.” 

“Do you think you can?” 

“Yes.” 

It was a lie, but perhaps with the grail…

Even then, she wouldn’t be able to do anything. She would rather contain him, keep him somewhere until they could reach the humanity within him. Gods, but it was still Gilgamesh. He still had moments where he seemed like he was almost there. He still almost felt like he cared. 

Although it may have been nothing more but a love for the warfare she was encouraging now. 

Enlil looked towards the doors, a force unknown throwing them shut and lowering the barricades before those eyes turned to her. A deep crimson color met her gaze. 

“He will slaughter you for becoming that which he hates-“

“Give me Nanna’s power,” Hakuno demanded. 

The god closed his eyes, a handful of other cloaked figures appearing in the room around them. She knew the symbols, some of them. Gods and goddesses. A faint twitch here and there said enough. The gods were indeed cowering before the might of the berserker. They didn’t want to die. 

A power hummed through her senses. 

A strange, cold feeling met her bones. Her wound disappeared from her shoulder. The more she sensed the feeling, the more lively she felt. Fatigue was pushed back, adrenaline building. Looking ahead of her, she could see multiple sets of red eyes meeting her gaze. She could see the faint traces of mana as they moved through the room, looking more like that of electricity than anything else. 

“We will hold you to your word,” Enlil murmured. “Should he go too far, should he threaten the world any further, then you must kill him. You no longer lack the strength, although what you do with this divinity will be watched.” 

“Are you leaving?” 

Enlil pulled himself to his feet. “The guards are sensing something. I must lure them elsewhere. The city needs guarded, as the Queen has desired.” 

The others murmured, soft comments. Well wishes, similar thinly worded warnings of their watchful eyes. Hakuno found herself left with but one in the room after a moment. Her eyes drifted to the cowl over her head, seeing it lower to reveal the wealth of golden hair. 

“Hakuno,” she murmured. 

“I know. You don’t have to say it, Ninsun.” Hakuno bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She had just agreed to kill her son if necessary. “He won’t get to that point.” 

The goddess glanced over at her. “I fear he may already have crossed that line.” 

Like that, she was gone. The doors opened once more, letting the guards come in after a few moments. Hakuno reached to her chest, holding Ishtar’s medallion and the king’s mantel that hung from her neck. 

“Where are we with the corpses and the fires?” 

The guards bowed. “The corpses are collected. We are planning to finish burning them.” 

“Send them to Nippur with a message.” 

The guards looked at her questioningly. 

_I fear he may already have crossed that line._

“Have the message read that Uruk understands and hears their declaration of war. Tell them no surrender will suffice. No diplomacy or call for understanding has been given and none shall now be taken. Let them know that Uruk will let Ereshkigal herself sort out their guilty and their deceitful, just as she does with the bodies we return.” 

The guards shuddered, agreeing to send the message before they were gone. 

Her eyes fell upon Enlil as they left. 

“Ellil, order for an inventory of the wheat and barley to be taken. Have the breweries account for their stock. I want to ensure that Uruk has what they need.” 

“If they do not?” 

“We’ll take from Nippur as compensation for our losses. Our people will see no folly with that.” Theft only counted if nothing had been lost to begin with. What they would be doing was reparations. 

Once she was alone again, she moved. 

Her trembling legs carried her through the halls. Her hand skimmed across the wall as she walked. At the sight of the baths, she moved without pause, letting the clothing dip below the water’s surface with her. She could feel so much. 

Electric-like power. 

A tremble in her system as her head pounded. 

Her heart was racing. Her mind reeling. The words that had dripped from her mouth had been like that of the kings, ruthless and passionate. She clung to the necklaces once again, closing her eyes and trying to calm whatever was happening to her. 

It would end. 

One way or another, she would find a way to smooth out what had come about. She would even the currents of chaos within Uruk. She had to stop the singularity from forming before it was too late and the king had a grail. 

Yet the waters grew cold as she remained under the water. Two attendants pulled her from her reverie, straightening out the tangles of hair behind her before she was dressed in fresh linens and escorted to the king’s chambers. Even as they left her, the trembling wouldn’t quit. Her mind wouldn’t turn off. There was only more and more thinking and worry building within her. 

Her body hit the mattress. 

A collection of lions climbed forth, pressing themselves to her person. The warmth of their fur was a welcomed change from the cool waters she had been in for well into the evening. 

She could hear the sounds from them as they fought for more attention. They must have missed their king. 

“I miss them too,” she breathed, loving them in the kings' stead. 


	10. Skeptic Prayers to the Divine

“What do you mean, you’ve already retaliated against Uruk?”

Caster and Archer both sat beside the king of Nippur, staring at him in horror as the man nodded. 

“It is as I have already declared. I sent a selection of troops to destroy the crops on the outside of Uruk. Without those precious crops and without the farmers who valiantly kept peace at the border of our countries, your country will falter. I imagine your other self, as you both have called him, will be able to withstand all of those citizens suffering.” 

The rather happy king looked over at the nervous diplomat nearby. 

“It is good news, kings. Rejoice! The war will end before it has begun. I imagine Ur will be nothing more than-“

They all paused as the guards came running in. Enkidu and Shamhat were close behind. 

“My kings!” Enkidu panted. Their robes were in disarray alongside the hiramtu. “It is Uruk. There was a large explosion.” 

Caster stopped Archer from his urge to simply leave. They were still in negotiation. Leaving was a sign of weakness and fragility for a king. Perhaps the man was more apt to fighting, but right now they were foreigners in this land. They needed to behave as they would amongst close enemies. 

The look that came in his direction was narrowed, those red eyes like daggers as Caster simply looked to the guards. 

“Do you seek no manners, Nippur aid? Your king is having a discussion.” 

“The temple maids spoke of death in Uruk. A woman’s hand.” 

Woman? 

The berserker was using Hakuno for warfare then? 

Glancing at Archer, Caster simply sighed. He forced himself to remain focused on what was truly important at the moment. They needed that army and they needed it immediately. 

“Your companions have interrupted our talks as well,” the Nippur king pointed out. 

“Interrupted from their prayers, in case you missed the attire alterations and bitemarks,” Caster countered. 

Enkidu pulled up their robes a bit more. 

“My soldiers no doubt just went too far. There is nothing to the temple maidens’ claims.” 

Caster leaned back, closing his eyes. 

Explosions and power of that sort was more along the lines of Cu Caster’s specialty. Then again, Hakuno had spent a good amount of time with the man. Berserker’s power seemed derived from the same base as that of his own and Archer’s. The man would have used Ea before doing fire and a result like that. 

“My woman waits in Uruk and I sit he playing polite.” 

The king was shrugging when Caster opened his eyes. 

They needed to think of something. They needed time though. 

At the end of the day, this came down to needing a catalyst. They needed more than mere words. While the diplomat was swayed to their cause, the man’s king was nothing more than a slovenly leader, prone to keeping his neutrality at all costs. The news of Uruk kicking out people was met with a small group to ruin the supply of proper drink to bring Uruk to its knees. 

Yet Enki was the god over Ninkasi, the goddess of drink. Enki would see to his daughter, proclaiming that Uruk must survive after its caring for Enkidu and its remembrance of the clay being in such fond and loving manners. 

“Come my other self,” Caster beckoned. He stood up himself, nodding at the king. “I see that there is no point in continuing our conversation further at this time. If you will allow us the proper cycle of moon and sun, we shall leave your lands and return to Uruk one way or another. We merely sought to prevent the form of us birthed from a hatred that Ereshkigal had for those who did not respect her. What happens to Nippur and Ur is unfortunate. I bear no ill will towards either kingdom.” 

The king nodded, waving him off. 

“Fool,” Archer hissed, following in his wake. Enkidu and Shamhat followed close behind him as well as they moved through the palace. 

It was a decent palace. The decadent marble floors and silver hanging throughout the place gave off the impression of wealth, but silver rusted. It was weak where gold was strong. 

Still, a few gems here and there appealed to him. Their brown color reminded him of his Hakuno, lying in his bed and suffering from a duplicate of himself. 

He would give her proper attentions at a later time. 

“Caster,” Archer hissed. 

“We cannot persuade the king in a manner that will not bring the soldiers to question us. We need something more.” Caster glanced back at the three. “At this time, we must consider our options and possibly contact Gudako about bringing servants from Chaldea. The problem with that is that we do not know the whereabouts of Hakuno. Endangering the mage does not appeal to me.” 

“I could take V-“

“You have said this before, Archer. May I remind you that our ship does not stand a chance against our Ea.” Caster gave him a look before turning to Enkidu and Shamhat more. “Ishtar must be better. You both were entangled in one another.” 

“Shamhat lacked energy,” Enkidu told him. “She aided with providing the woman mana. I told her it was a bad plan, but she did not listen.” 

Women were very prone to their own ends, much like everyone else in the end. 

“Ishtar murmured of angry gods and passed out,” Shamhat added. “I conferred with Ninsun, but my goddess is distressed. Her son has killed the god Nanna. She fears who will be bequeathed that power.” 

The god of the moon was dead? 

Archer was smirking. 

Honestly, he wanted to grin as well. The god of the moon was a particular pebble in their shoe. After all the trouble that man had put them through, especially upon hearing of Hakuno from Ninsun…

“Shamhat, Enkidu- Watch over the goddess. With the death of her father, we do not want the useless goddess overreacting. She is prone to the unpredictable.” 

Archer motioned them off as well before turning to him. 

“The explosion was Hakuno. She managed what Cu Caster was teaching her.” 

“So it would seem.” 

“She was fighting.” 

A concerning fact, Caster agreed. The man didn’t need to say it. Hakuno fighting was a problem. She lacked a great deal of mana. An average mage in the end, she would not be able to keep her energy levels up long enough to survive being wounded if she was doing what Cu Caster had taught her. 

The handful of times she had managed smaller fires and attacks of fire, she had been out of energy almost immediately. Her emotions had been more freely showing as well. If Berserker saw her without her wits together…

“As soon as there is word back from the soldiers, we will use those words to twist the army to be under our control.” 

“I should leave now.” 

“And what? What will you do when you arrive in Uruk? You breathe mana, give off power with every fiber of your body. Without others, you will be fighting a servant whose noble phantasm and skill set is unknown. You and I cannot fight and win against one another.” 

“Fight with me.” 

“If the berserker threatens Hakuno before we reach her,” he stopped short. 

There was no need to say it. They both were glaring at the room around them, avoiding the end of that thinking. 

They would have to wait. 

“I am going to listen to what the temple maidens have to say,” Archer told him. “If they knew of Hakuno’s hand in the explosion, then they may be our best source for updates.” 

“I will visit Ninsun’s temple,” Caster replied. 

The man stopped. 

“Surprised?” 

“You do not approve of our mother. She insinuated that Hakuno would make a good queen consort, despite her weak circuits and rather average mana.” 

“Our mother may be able to see Hakuno. If we cannot get an army, then I would like to know how far into the palace we must sneak and perhaps when the best time to go would be. No matter my personal feelings, I would like Hakuno safe. Just as you do.” 

Archer glanced at him before shaking his head. “Remain out of my way, Caster. My master is merely that.” 

His. 

The man was not going to make friends with talk of that nature. Caster watched him begin to run, taking the stairs from the lowered palace. The blond hair vanished around the corner and he closed his eyes. 

Despite it all, he was impressed. 

Hakuno was proving herself to be able to withstand war. It was something he had feared greatly when he had considered his mother’s words. Hakuno was so young, so weak in so many different ways. Determination or not, at the end of the day, power was important and Hakuno was weaker than Gudako. 

The explosion said otherwise. 

“Caster.” 

The soft voice met his hearing. 

“Here I had thought I would need to wander to the edges of this kingdom to hear your voice,” Caster replied. “What brings you to the palace of Nippur, Ninsun?” 

“Mother.” 

“I am not your mother.” 

Ninsun glared at him slightly, pulling the cloak she had around herself a little closer. Her usual glow was missing, the spark of life gone from her person. “I came to speak to you again on the topic of your little human.” 

“Hakuno.” 

The woman nodded. “I have come from the palace.” 

“Is she well?” 

She nodded. 

Air hit his lungs. How long he had been holding back proper breathing, he would never know. His shoulders and muscles also seemed to melt under the soothing touch of that news. Such a simple gesture, such basic information, and he was experiencing such reactions. 

It was Archer’s fault. 

He was enamored and beguiled by a second rate mage. 

“She has taken on the divinity and power of Nanna.” 

He took back his previous thought. Second rate no more. 

“She has done what?” Caster moved closer to the woman. 

“There was little choice. She demanded it in the end. I do not know what the other gods are thinking, other than the fact that your berserker self has not killed her for some reason when he was more than happy to simply slaughter the others. We all are experiencing an odd feeling, like we have already died before in another realm and that this universe is doomed if we do not act. Enlil is in command.” 

The god of fates in command? 

“And that has worked out so well in the past,” Caster scoffed. 

“Hakuno has-“ 

“I have heard you,” Caster replied, raising a hand. “What confuses me is why you did not stop it. You had all the power. You are our mother. Even I must give respects to some degree.” 

Ninsun shook her head. “He is different. Feral. Whatever Hakuno has managed to do to keep him from killing her and the kingdom, I admire her more for it. No other has managed.” 

“Was Hakuno the cause of the explosion in Uruk?” 

Ninsun nodded. 

“Is Berserker there?” 

“He was. Enlil thinks he will return shortly. We are not aware of the plan.” The woman moved closer, holding his arm with both of hers. “Tell me you are going to her.” 

“She is my master.” 

“I sense what happened with you happening again.” 

He blinked. 

“The cup thing.” 

“A singularity?” 

She nodded. 

It would make sense. Uruk had no queen consort. It was not at war like this with Nippur and Ur. With both of those things in place and Uruk run by a madman version of himself, it made little sense why Babylonia wouldn’t become another singularity on the listing for Gudako to clear up. 

Which meant they had little time. 

“Mother,” Caster murmured. 

“What is it?” 

“You hold power over Ur, do you not?” 

“Ur is under the sight of the Uruk soldiers. It will fall.” 

There went that plan. Going for Ur’s army would be out of the question. 

Hakuno was the goddess of the moon now though. The temples throughout this world were now tuned to be heard by her. If she knew how to hear the prayers of others, then she stood the chance of hearing him. 

“Please watch over my woman,” Caster ordered. 

He needed to go to Archer. 

Before the damn other him lost his mind as well, he needed to be informed of the change in this world. He rushed out of the palace, taking the roads a bit slower. Unlike his archer self, he was dressed for his position and he was not going to fling himself from one place to another like some kind of child. Still, he found himself almost longing to let loose like the archer, his feet carrying him so slowly despite his pace. 

Archer was standing outside the palace of Enlil, growling something. 

“Archer!” 

The man turned, seeing the motion for him to come closer. 

“What is it?” Archer snarled, moving to his side slowly. Those eyes were practically glowing under the sun. “I need to find a way to speak to the gods-“

“Hakuno has taken on Nanna’s duties.” 

Archer paused. 

“I feel similarly.” 

“She can hear prayers.” 

“Perhaps.” 

Archer was already in motion, heading for the moon temple. “There is no perhaps. She has taken over the duties, she hears prayers now. Her king’s should come in stronger than that of any other.” 

The man was thinking with his third leg, Caster thought to himself, following nonetheless. It was a longshot to think that Hakuno would become in tune with prayers. However, if that were the case, they could do much more than they were able to do at this time. 

There was a chance for saving Uruk now. 

“She will send out elite guards out,” Archer told him. “They will get us into the palace. We steal back Hakuno, we sick the lions onto Berserker, we slaughter him. And then I am having a discussion with my so called master about taking on the duties of some second rate god and being associated with that useless goddess.” 

“We do not know that Hakuno can hear prayers. She has only just come into her power.” 

Archer glared at him, continuing into the temple. 

“She is mine. She will hear me,” the man assured him, leaving Caster to stare after him as he vanished within the temple depths. 

The god defying king was going to pray to his lover, the moon, Caster thought. 

The irony was not lost on him. 


	11. Adoration of the Golden Archer

There was a notable change in the way her body seemed to be running in the morning. Hakuno found herself staring up at the canopy, feeling the strange sensation running through her body. There was more… energy. She felt much more active and awake upon waking up this morning.

Rather than the tired and slow movement she normally went through, she found herself sitting up immediately, brushing back some of her hair as she looked down at the lions around her. 

They were the ones yawning and stretching languidly, their eyes drifting up to hers slowly. She could see a couple simply roll over, settling back against her. Any other day, she would have understood and related well to that mentality. She would have easily just settled in, pulled the covers back over herself, and drifted off to sleep. 

Yet she couldn’t necessarily manage that this morning. 

Instead she was climbing off the mattress, pulling the robes nearby around herself and giving one of the closer lions a gentle pat on the head. 

“There’s work to do this morning.” 

There was a great deal to do this morning. A handful of maids greeted her at the doors, bowing as she opened the doors. At once, they were moving to dress her properly, moving passed her to get more jewelry and fabrics. 

Ellil bowed as he entered the hallway. 

“Your majesty.” 

“How are things?” 

“Supplies are at a high, despite the fires. Your interception of the invaders reduced the casualties to the one area of farmland. We’ve offered that family the Nippur land a short jaunt away.” 

Rude but effective. It was farmland that was going to be wasted anyway. Nippur had declared war and their land therefore was forfeit. 

“The soldier that went down?” The guard that had been with her had been wounded. 

“Gone the moment we reached him.” 

Hakuno nodded. The man had chased after her, knowing the dangers that she was running towards. The king and diplomat of Nippur should have thought twice before seeking warfare with Uruk. There would be blood for that alone. 

“Is war necessary?” 

Hakuno looked over at him, shaking her head. “Ur could have been reasoned with, but Nippur has always been stubborn. The opportunity to declare war after the exodus of their citizens from Uruk was just the final nail in a coffin for them.” 

“They pray to me,” Ellil murmured. 

“Do you agree with their actions?” Hakuno asked. 

Along with that was the other question: What kingdom in this world was she to be the patron god of? Now that she was thinking about it, there was a place out there that she was supposed to be supporting. 

Ellil sighed. “I cannot say that I support their actions, but I must appease their claims to a point. As you will need to for Ur.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Ishtar is the patron of Uruk. Nanna for Ur. Myself for Nippur. We are to protect-“

“Ishtar sent a bull upon Uruk.” 

“And the gods gave the king and his friend the strength to stop it.” 

She just had to give the man a look for that. Strength from the gods? Gilgamesh had mentioned that time in the dead of night, murmuring drunkenly with Enkidu about the gods and their so called gifts of this and that. They had both mentioned how the gods had simply looked away when Ishtar had gone berserk. 

“You must bear in mind that you have a duty… There are prayers that must be listened to, amongst other things.” 

“Prayers?” 

“You are still coming in to your power. It may be a bit before you hear them. It’s like a dull whispering at all times. You may find it distracting, but remember that their prayers will give you strength, to some extent.” 

Hakuno nodded a bit. 

“You will also need to remove other gods’ gifts.” Ellil pulled Ishtar’s talisman from her. “It will get in the way.” 

A buzzing met her ears, soft, incessant-

“Ah, you must be hearing them.” 

Her eyes drifted up to the man’s own. “The buzzing? It sounds like someone has an appliance not working right.” 

“I don’t quite understand the reference, but you will need to focus to hear them. I don’t recommend listening for long or listening around the king. You don’t seem to be able to multi-task.” 

Multi-task? It was hard to ignore the sound. 

She glanced at the talisman. “Will it hurt to wear that?” 

“It won’t, but Ishtar will block your connection to your people.” 

“Will it bother Ishtar?” 

“…No,” Ellil shook his head. 

That pretty much settled it then. Hakuno took the necklace back, tucking it back underneath her robes to where it had been before. The sound in her ears stopped, the silence a welcomed change. 

“My queen-“

“I can’t focus with them speaking to me right now. I’ll listen for them later,” Hakuno promised. “I’ll have you show me how to listen and welcome their prayers, but-“

“I have come on the behalf of the Nippur people as well as coming as your guard,” Ellil murmured, softer as the maidens returned from their foraging of the room and shooing out of the lions from the bed. 

Hakuno shook her head, letting the women work. 

She couldn’t discuss Nippur and her hesitations for the war before these people. They needed to look like Uruk was on the same mindset, both queen and insane king, for what was happening. The people didn’t need the divide in their leadership. 

“Ellil, are there people to see this morning?” 

“No, your majesty. They are keeping to their homes today. The heat is high and the guards have seen to their stations around the city. Out of respect for the sun god, they have taken to staying indoors or short trips to the Euphrates.” 

Aka, it was hot and no one wanted to be under that kind of extreme heat. 

She could respect that. She wouldn’t want to be dealing with such a heat either. Hakuno looked back at the maidens, thanking them and sending them off. 

“The guards?” 

“They will be escorting your maidens back, minus a couple who will be preparing your chambers for your return.” 

The day was lined up properly for practicing her newfound ability as a divine. If Berserker returned during the day though…

“May I recommend you to listen to your people that you are sending to death?” 

And let the guilt set in? 

There were innocents on either side of war, casualties. Caster had been only too eager to mention them whenever Archer had become tired of listening to the man bicker with diplomats and their selfish desires. Time and time again, the man had emphasized the dangers of going to war, the amount of youth that would become scarred from the loss of family, widows and emotionally destroyed warriors. 

“I can’t.” 

“You merely need to remove the talisman and focus,” Ellil insisted. 

Hakuno shook her head. “You don’t understand, Ellil. If I hear them, I will want to stop Berserker. If I try, he will only become outraged.” 

“And that tells me you cannot handle him.” 

It did. Hakuno bit her lip. “Is Ur against Uruk?” 

“That is a question only you can find the answer to and only through the removal of that talisman and the listening of their prayers.” 

It meant wafting through the innocent prayers. 

“Is Nippur guilty?” 

Ellil shook his head. “It is not for me to decide. I come on their behalf, but I know that you have lost life and livelihood in Uruk. It is understandable to fight Nippur.” 

Understandable, but he didn’t like it. 

Sighing, Hakuno pulled the talisman back out, running her thumb over the image of the bull and the star. The vibrant lines and images gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the corridors. 

“The symbol of Nanna and Ishtar.” 

Hakuno handed it to him. 

The buzzing once more picked up. 

There wasn’t a hesitation in the man’s reaction though. Taking her by the hand, he led her quietly through the palace, into the throne room and towards her place. She was settled in with a couple pillows before the man knelt before her. 

“You must take a moment to close your eyes, I believe. You are young and unaccustomed to the sound of their words. Think towards the city of Ur, towards what their people may be thinking.” 

“Can I communicate with them?” 

“You can act on their prayers through sending things, but the talent of two way communication does not come for a long while to most gods. Ishtar is still naive to the concept.” 

Which was a shame. 

Hakuno held one of the cushions closer, closing her eyes as she crossed her legs. The sound of the buzzing changed. Small notes, little nuances making the sound seem less like buzzing. It was almost like white noise now. 

She could hear the sound of the ‘t’s and the ‘k’s. They crackled here and there in the endless stream of noise and her mind seemed to almost be tuning closer to understanding it. More sounds. Small words here and there. She was still getting accustomed to understanding Sumerian. 

“Nanna, give us the strength to destroy the Uruk people.” 

She opened her eyes at that, holding out her hand. 

That was all she needed to hear. 

“You should listen to more-“

“Ellil, the talisman.” She kept her voice firm, leaving no room for argument. The necklace was placed back in her hands, the sound of the voices stopping. 

“It is dangerous to go too long without listening. Your power comes from your people as well as from the things you represent.” 

Well, Ishtar wasn’t doing much for Uruk. Perhaps she would sway them to follow Nanna. 

The guard turned away, moving towards the doors of the palace. 

“Inhabiting this vessel will become more difficult if I remain. He is growing anxious.” 

“Are you going back to where the other gods are?” 

“I am,” Ellil confirmed. 

“The war will end soon,” Hakuno promised him. “I know that the gods are anxious and I don’t blame them. One way or another-“

“Gilgamesh must fall,” Ellil interrupted, looking over at her with those red eyes of his. “Your words and your actions are sweet and well-meaning, but you care for him. Before he has eclipsed your goodwill and your sensibilities, you will need to take care of him. Even Ninsun knows it is too late for him.” 

The man was gone before she could think of something to say. 

She couldn’t think of anything to say. 

Gilgamesh, at least the berserker, was beyond all sense of rhyme or reason. 

She sat on the throne as the sun soared across the blue skies, the heat filtering into the throne room. Rather than the welcoming of the maidens remaining and their attempts to fan her, Hakuno waved them off, opting to be alone. 

She found the lions moving into the room as the skies turned to pink and purples, their bodies piling across the tiled floors of the room. 

Her hands once more were on the talisman for Ishtar, turning it this way and that. 

She set it down on the arm of the chair and leaned back, listening. 

The voices had died down. 

There were very few, their words were almost impossible to hear. It didn’t take much effort to know why. The Uruk forces had made it to Ur. They had demolished the kingdom, taking everything and leaving no stone unturned. The few voices she could hear were no doubt either Uruk soldiers or the very few who had escaped. 

They would be gone soon enough. 

She didn’t like the chill that those thoughts brought to her mind. Wrapping some of the fabrics of the throne around herself, Hakuno moved to the floor, wrapping her arms around that of the lion, Sumun. The beast merely leaned against her, all too accustomed to the king and that of his companions. A couple of the others moved to her side as well, leaning against her and demanding attention. 

There was still a buzzing in her ears. 

She drifted her thoughts the opposite direction. 

“Hakuno, I know that you are listening, you better give me a damn sign…”

Every part of her body froze, her hands deep in the mane of one of the lions. 

Archer’s voice went on. “Do you seek worship? There will be consequence if you have become more like that useless goddess...Caster has gone to listen to the temple priests. They said something about Ur being destroyed… That’s not a real loss, but it’s bothersome. We’ll have to listen to Caster complain for ages about it. The arrogant king being gone means nothing to me.” 

“You dumbass,” Hakuno murmured. 

God it felt good to hear his voice. 

“And what is this about you being queen?” Archer growled. “You devoted yourself to the side of that snake? When are you returning to my side? You have been gone far too long. Expect to be paying recompense for your actions. You became that which I do not enjoy and became associated with that snake rather than simply remaining at my side and in my bed.” 

Ellil should have taught her how to travel like that of the gods. She wanted to smack this idiot. If she could just reach him, she could bring him and Caster here and they could take down Berserker. 

It would be so much easier with them…

She glanced down at her command spells. 

If she used them, Berserker would sense it. He would meet up with Archer and Caster and slaughter them before the two had time to plan. 

“Listen to me,” Archer continued. “Caster and I will be at your doorstep soon. Do not allow yourself to be killed or wounded. I intend to make that beast and you both pay for each bruise and scratch I find upon your person.” 

Of course he did. 

She paused. 

Archer and Caster were in the direction of Nippur. 

If they ran into the army, they would be fighting against two sides. 

Oh, they would be at a severe disadvantage. She needed to get Berserker and the Uruk army heading to Nippur before it was too late. If they could stop the Nippur army and take over Nippur, then Caster and Archer could simply fight Berserker and return with the army. 

Standing up, Hakuno felt her stomach rumble. 

Food. 

Then she needed to find a way to convince Berserker to go straight for Nippur next. He had already devastated Ur. It wouldn’t take him long to return. 

When he did, she’d send him on one final warfront. 

She’d have Archer and Caster righting these many wrongs before the Sumerian gods could become too unsettled. 

“Thank you, little ones,” Hakuno murmured to the beasts at her feet. As she moved to replace the talisman of Ishtar back beneath her robes, she could hear movement behind her. The lions had listened to her stomach growl a second time and began moving to stand as well. 

It was time for the evening meal in the ziggurat. 


	12. Bloodstained Beasts

She was taking off the talisman of Ishtar as the sun rose, listening to the sounds from Ur. Her eyes scanned the far walls of the throne room, gauging the distance.

Ur citizens had slipped around the army. 

Any way she tried to ignore it was impossible. Their words echoed in her mind, bringing up images. And there were so many images. She couldn't breathe through the onslaught of them. 

Death was coming for Uruk. 

Her mind begged to hear the sound of Uruk's people, but...

The Uruk army didn’t seem to be praying towards Nanna. Most likely due to Berserker. The man would have insulted and berated the moon god to the army, making them lose their faith. 

She needed to work with Berserker. She needed to find ways to get the man to agree to work with her. He needed to listen. 

The voices were getting closer. 

More blood. More violence promised. They prayed for things that made her blood freeze. They promised things that made her stomach churn. 

Hakuno moved from the throne, leaving through the entrance and calling for the guards to follow. The lions were following in her wake now. Probably thinking she was going to find their owner. The needy lot trailed alongside her. 

“We have intruders.” 

A couple of the guards nodded, moving back to get more of the others. 

There weren’t a great deal of soldiers, but there were enough guards to take care of the mess. 

“Your majesty…” One of the guards was moving closer, eyeing her carefully. 

“We can discuss more later. They aren’t far,” Hakuno argued, clicking her tongue for the lions. They were carnivorous. 

It was time for food anyway. 

Her eyes closed as they made it to the ground. She could hear the guards clinking and jogging after her. She could hear the lions whining at her side, looking around with interest. 

But if she focused, it was just there. The prayers being passed quietly to their moon god and patron; they echoed in her mind. She followed after them blindly, letting the newfound power flow through her. 

So many threats. 

So many ideas for harming the Uruk citizens. 

She was picking up her pace as they grew closer to the houses at the edge of the city. She leaned down, egging the beasts at her side onwards. Her hands pressed to their fur, finding some of her mana going through them. 

She could see their eyes flash, their speed turning into a run. 

The guards were following after her. 

The city had let a small group of their soldiers escape. She could hear the screams before she saw them. The lions had found them first. 

Blood was flying. The guards were rushing passed her. 

But there was a tug from her body that went to the lions. She could feel the ground and the bodies against the paws of the beasts. She could feel the adrenaline and the raw power of their movements. The mana was singing through their veins. 

Was this what it was like to hold power? 

Was this strength? 

Her eyes drifted away from one of the lions pouncing on another victim, her gaze flickering to the reflection of herself in the glass of one of the windows. 

A pair of red eyes met her gaze. 

She was using too much of the divinity. Nanna’s power was singing through her veins, egging her on. 

Gods, but it felt like nothing else. 

She rushed into the fray as an assassin went for one of the lions, her hands stealing a blade from one of the guards. She landed on the villain, the blade flashing before her eyes. More red. It poured forth, filling her sight with the rich color. 

It was all she could see, her ears ringing with the sounds of dozens of cries. The prayers were stopping now, last words echoing in her head. 

More. 

There were still more. 

Her eyes closed as she listened. Her body moved towards the noise, the lions giving chase at her ankles. They were onto another pocket of the soldiers, tearing them down before going onto another. 

Her blade was knocked out of hand. 

Another appeared from another of the guards. 

She lunged and cut, ripped and poured forth. Nothing else mattered at the moment. She was just there, just breathing. Each movement felt foreign to her body, her mind elsewhere. She could see it all, but there was nothing that sunk in. It was experienced, yet so detached. 

She stole the last victim from the lions and the guards, leaping upon the man as he ran. 

His body was barely breathing when she grasped his head. 

He had intended to do this with many of the men. She had heard his voice, the same tone and everything as the one that had prayed for the strength to bash the heads of her people into the earth. She could see those eyes illuminated as realization hit him of what was to come. 

His head moved towards the dirt. 

Blood hit her cheeks as she moved, over and over. Her mind just stopped. There was nothing else she could do to protect-

A hand fell upon her shoulder. 

“Stop.” 

The voice was undeniable. 

All of her froze. 

She could feel the power emanated from his person, the confidence and the age in his mana irrefutable. The god had returned after all, despite his vessel being so terribly weak. He had come long after the fighting had begun, leaving the dirty work to her and the others. Her eyes flickered away from the beaten in skull, drifting to the calm expression of her head of the guard. 

Enlil looked back at her, eyes as emotionless as ever. 

“You have taken them all down, Hakuno.” 

“They were going to-“

“I know.” 

She didn’t apologize. 

Neither did he for his lateness. 

The voices had filled her head the moment she had tried to listen for Berserker. She had heard their intent for the women and children of Uruk. She had heard their intent for slaughtering the able bodied men still in Uruk. They had planned to use the city to hide and slowly tear apart the Uruk army. 

“Take back the power from the lions,” Enlil murmured. “They are not meant to hold that much energy. You’re going to be hurting them soon.” 

The power was yanked back, making the lions whine slightly before they were moving to her side. Their stained muzzles pressed against her. 

“They’re attached… How interesting.” 

Hakuno found the man moving to hand her a talisman, curling her fingers around it. 

“If you fight too long, you will lose yourself. You were instructed to fight Berserker, not your own people.” 

“My people are the people of Uruk.” 

“They do not pray to you, they pray to Ishtar. Your people were the people of Ur. They needed you.” Enlil countered. “You’ve successfully destroyed the very people who help give you strength.” 

“The people of Uruk will worship the moon then.” 

Her head hurt from this. She needed to clean herself up. The lions needed a bath as well. She’d be probably dragging them to the river nearby for a bath. The guards were already gathering the dead, ignoring them for the moment. 

“The singularity is started.” 

“Let it.” 

The man paused. 

The grail would mean more power. It would mean that she could stop Berserker and reinstate Caster and Archer to the throne. She could protect Uruk better that way. These people, both Ur and Nippur were a problem that would not go away. 

She had spent long enough thinking about that. 

“You little fool, you will lose all three of them,” the god promised. “You should have slaughtered him when you had the chance. The warriors of all worlds are coming.” 

Chaldea could not even fight Berserker. His threats were empty. 

Nippur was another matter though. 

Nippur would send their army, larger than Uruk’s. If the army reached Archer and Caster, the two would be battling a frustrating battle to escape, because killing them would cause a singularity that neither wanted. Nippur would advance to the city and kill the people. 

The smallest part of her knew Berserker had a point with fighting them now. It was too late for peace with Nippur. Ur could have managed but… No. 

The king and the people had decided against them, just as Nippur had. 

Power sang through her senses. Turning her head, Hakuno found her thoughts drifting to the one who was headed their way. The servant had gone ahead of the army. He was rushing back, no doubt having sensed the power from this bloodbath. 

A flash of blond was on the other side of the river. She could see a flash of color. A deep red flickered in the air as he leaped. 

Enlil was moving away. 

He wasn’t moving fast enough. Berserker was looking over at him. She could see the gears turning as he put together what power could be felt from the man. 

The god would be killed before he got away. 

She let the talisman go, letting the power being contained loose again. 

Immediately, she could see those eyes flickering back to her. She could sense him gauging her now. That gaze was narrowing, his body heading for her. 

“What did you do?” 

The lions shifted, pressing closer to her. 

They were attached, Enlil had said. 

Her hands went to the heads of the two closest, her eyes locked on his. He was slowing, that blond hair a mess. 

“Harimtu.” 

“The gods needed someone to contain what you did.” 

Berserker’s gaze narrowed. “Humans cannot contain such power. You would die or become possessed. Let the other personality out. I’m going to-“

“There’s no one else in me. I just have his strength now.” 

Rage. That was all that could be described in those eyes. He was moving forward, hands shaking at his sides. She could feel waves of that energy rolling forth from him. He was closing the distance, blocking out the sunlight. 

Somehow, it felt better to have the sun gone. It felt better to be in his shadow. 

“That god-“

“We’re attacking Nippur as soon as the army has returned.” 

The man’s gaze narrowed. “You seek to command me-“

“You wanted war. I want war. We’re attacking Nippur.” She could feel the paws moving against the dirt, the beasts around them looking up at the berserker. They were ready to pounce if they needed to. They were ready to fight alongside her. The guards were remaining close, avoiding eye contact. 

Would they fight with her against their king? 

Enlil had demanded the berserker be taken down. Theoretically…

A hand pressed against her cheek, fingers digging into her jaw as that hand moved to lift her chin. She could feel him moving in closer. As he let go, she could see his gaze flicker to her arm. 

His other hand wrapped around her forearm, stroking it with the gentlest of touches. 

And then it was snapped. 

Bodies flashed before her eyes. Her body fell backwards to land on the ground. 

He was pushing the beasts off, those eyes locked on her as they snarled and bit at him. Hakuno found herself pushing back tears, snapping the arm back into place. The mana moved forth, repairing the injury, but slowly. Painfully. 

Gods, but there was nothing like this burning pain running through her senses. She wanted to pass out. She wanted to sleep for hours. There was no helping the whine that escaped her. Tears were running down her face as the pain slowly went down. And then it was gone. 

“Off me, cats,” Berserker snarled, brushing back his hair and throwing them back. They rolled, moving to her side. 

They snarled at he grew closer. 

He hissed in return, making them lower more towards the ground, eyeing him carefully. 

A hand moved forward, extended towards her. 

“Fuck you.” 

Those eyes flashed, a smirk on his lips. He pulled his hand back, barking at the guards to head back to the palace. 

“I will bring your queen shortly.” 

She found herself leaning against one of the lions, holding her arm a little still. She could feel her face licked as the man stood back up, brushing himself off. 

Those red eyes flashed as she looked down at her. 

“Tell me, what are you?” 

She blinked. 

“Answer your king,” he snarled, that longer blond hair framing his face to a sharper, harsher look. “What are you?” 

“I am your harimtu,” she shot back at him. 

She had given her body to him to purge his sins. She had forgiven it all: the blood, the violence, the piss poor decisions. She was now guilty of horrors as well. She had gone in the direction the harimtu had warned her about. She had welcomed his sins in and become something worse. 

The gods were against them. 

They had not cared at all about Uruk. They just wanted their precious god alive. They just wanted things to be quiet. They sat back and watched the world turn to bloodshed and violence, intercepting when it was safe and only when it was safe. 

Ninsun was being weak as well. 

Gods, they were all being so weak, forcing her into this position. 

The berserker moved forward. “You are no harimtu.” 

“Then why do I welcome your sins,” she bid him to answer. “If you’re so damn smart, you tell me what I am.” 

The man’s face froze, his body falling to his knees. 

The beasts were pushed away. 

“Tell me to fight Nippur,” he commanded. 

“Tear their army apart.” 

“Why?” 

“You’re to protect Uruk. They want to kill Uruk.” 

The man leaned in closer, wiping at the blood on her face as he leaned in closer. “I’ll slaughter them all. It won’t matter what they are and how much they beg.” 

“If you don’t, I will.” 

There it was, his arms around her body, pulling it closer. 

“Your eyes are different. They show divinity.” He complained. 

“You have scales. Looks like we’re both just going to have to suck it up.” 

His hands slipped beneath her robes, fondling her as he called for the lions to follow him. They weren’t listening to him. 

They sensed the ill intent, the malicious feel that he gave off in waves. Hakuno held the man tighter, calling to the beasts in his stead. For her, alone, they moved. Their bodies crossed back and forth around them, their eyes drifting to her and whimpering. 

It wasn’t their king. 

Hakuno looked up at the man. 

If she did kill him like the gods had requested, she’d need to be smart about it. The Nippur army would need to be slaughtered first. She’d have to use Enlil to sense for any survivors. Survivors would hold grudges. The Ur people had been the same way. 

Once they were gone, she’d let him live a while, sensing if there was a way to save him-

The man stopped, cupping her cheek and kissing her. She paused at the feel, pulling back. 

“Gilgamesh-“

“I will take down Nippur. Your body is mine though, is it not?” 

“You get privileges.” 

A snort came from him. The snort becoming a laugh as something came to his mind. You could see it in the eyes, the way he suddenly looked at her with more interest. He pulled her closer. 

“You’re stealing from the gods, Moon Cell Girl. Stealing their power, untouchable to them because of your creation, I’m guessing.” 

It was the herb that Archer had given her. They couldn’t kill her but-

“A strength without weakness, bowing before me, standing at my side. I see what they saw. They wasted your potential,” he murmured. 

He took the stairs two at a time, leaping upon the landing and heading passed the guards. She could feel his hands drifting along her back, the direction he was taking familiar. The baths appeared before them within minutes, his movements not lessening as he went straight for the water. 

They went into the flowing waters, followed by the beasts. 

His lips were moving against hers again, wiping the blood from her face. 

“How do I end up with power equal to my own,” he breathed. His hands were moving along her body again, her own keeping him close. She would hurt him if he hurt her again. 

Those eyes were perusing her face though, focused on her every feature. Over and over she found him staring back at her, his lips moving to hers again. Affections, as strange as it was, were given to her lips. He didn’t hesitate from them, didn’t accompany them with violence or hatred. 

“Gil…”

The name slipped from her lips. The blood had been washed away by the dip into the water when they had entered. His face looked fatigued and his hair dripped onto his shoulders, but he was there again. She moved against him, pressing her lips to his in return. 

“The gods are against us,” he purred. “They cower and run. They will try to kill us for this, Hakuno. When we are done with Nippur, we will slaughter all of them. The people will worship you.” 

Unnecessary. 

“I will have everything I want now. You have inspired me, my created one.” 

She would take back Uruk and reunite with Archer and Caster when he was done. 

The man was leaning her against himself after a time though. The scales flashed in the sunlight pouring into the room. The longer he sat, the closer the beasts came, their muzzles stroked softly as Hakuno found herself simply resting against the man. 

“Why break my arm?” 

“Hmm?” 

“You broke my arm earlier… why?” 

“Gods do not care for pain. They would have come forth.” 

“And if they had?” 

Gilgamesh looked down at her, a yawn escaping him. “I would have abused your body until he left. Your being divine changes things.” 

“It changes nothing.” 

“I will destroy the temples and force only one goddess upon our people.” 

The people would think she had done something to him if he did that. Allowing that would be the same as making the decisions herself. 

“Before I have done that, I will take you again. Your body has more sins to forgive. I have a fight against Nippur to win as well.” He smiled, Archer in expression and appearance. That blond hair was slicked back far too nicely. “When the soldiers arrive tomorrow from their travels, We shall greet them with a feast and let them greet their women before we move forward.” 

“A feast?” 

“Mongrels do not fight without rewards. I am sure their queen will want to greet them with a proper set of words about how the men of Uruk are keeping Uruk alive. I’m sure she will want to please her king with being able to hold him in her arms as well. Uruk will slaughter this entire world until nothing is left.” 

Hakuno nodded. 

_’Hakuno,’_ Caster’s voice drifted through her thoughts. 

She almost reacted to the sound of that voice, her eyes flickering to the man at her side. Berserker was leaning back, his head resting against the edge of the waters. Even as the water splashed from a fountain nearby, he simply enjoyed the silence, closing his eyes. 

Caster didn’t know that though. Not when he was praying. A part of her almost feared the berserker hearing him. As though he could. 

Fear of what would happen if the man ever heard the two made her pause. 

She needed to keep Caster and Archer safe. 

Damn it Caster, Hakuno thought, wincing at the man continued with his prayer for her safety. 

_’Hakuno?’_ He asked, _‘you can communicate?_

Caster? 

_’What is going on in Uruk?’_

Ur is gone. The people are dead, Hakuno thought towards the man, straining to get her message to him. 

_’Can you talk to Archer?’_

I didn’t know I could talk to you, she countered, glancing up at Berserker. The man was half asleep now, content with her responses to him. 

_’I am more adept to magic. It would make sense…’_

Are you close? 

_’Not far. Enkidu is watching Archer for now. I am planning to slip into the city.’_

Wait until tomorrow. The army will return and there will be a feast. 

_’…Are you safe?’_

Was she safe? 

Hakuno glanced at the berserker again, finding herself unable to do much else but inform the caster that she was. He wouldn’t kill her. 

If anything, his words from the other night said something quite different. 

Caster, Hakuno thought towards the servant. Take the lion’s path to the palace. 

She would stray to their chambers during the feast so she could plan how to stop this singularity, the gods, and the berserker holding her. 

_’I will come for you when the night falls,’_ he promised. 

And then he was gone. 


	13. Si vis pacem

Mongrels do not fight without rewards, Berserker had told her.

The flood of burgundy drink pouring forth from the various jars, the masses of people turning this way and that as the string instruments struck up another song; Hakuno couldn’t help but to agree with the man’s assessment. The people of Uruk enjoying nothing more than taking pleasure in festivities and self-praise. Much like their king…

The other ones, not this king that sat here now. 

Berserker was leaning back, the festival robes hanging loosely off his shoulders as he sipped from his goblet. Those red eyes were following the movements, taking in the area as patiently as the snake-charmer’s partner. His shoulder length hair had been slicked back for the occasion, only making her think more deeply of a serpent alongside the scales that glinted faintly on his person. Of course, it was hard to notice the scales too deeply when his chest gleamed with a half dozen necklaces. 

Had his doppelgangers seen him adorned in such a manner, there would have been fits. Archer would have been complaining endlessly about needing to melt down his own jewelry. 

At the sight of her entering, the man shifted, waving off the servants catering to him. She found herself being motioned to come to him. 

“They have adorned you well enough,” he began. 

“The servants were excited about having someone to assist,” Hakuno replied, settling in at the man’s side and finding his arm loosely around her hips. 

It was true. The servants had been excited about the festival. They had been excited even for assisting her in getting prepared for the festival, but they had been fearful of Gilgamesh’s wrath more. Their indecisiveness on what would be tempting and within the berserker’s tolerance had led them well into being late. And then, of course, the lot of them had feared the king’s ire for making her late. 

The lions’ path was becoming a frequent exiting point for the servants. Better the lions’ path than facing death itself. 

“They should be nearby.” The man’s eyes drifted towards where she had come. “Do they not seek praise for their work?” 

“I told them to enjoy the festival.” 

He nodded “Pleasure before their own praise. Interesting.” 

Once more, she found herself under the man’s scrutiny, his fingers caressing her cheek as he coaxed her attention to him. The flickering fires nearby seemed to only make his features look that much harsher. The sharp angle of his jawline and slant of his furrowed brows made him seem that much less patient. 

“I find myself wondering,” he murmured. “What is more likely to become untamed, the lions to which I allow to come and go from my palace as they please or the created being to which has stolen the essence of divinity from the very gods themselves that I seek to destroy?” 

“Are you saying that you do not trust me, Gilgamesh?” 

He shook his head. “It is not so simple as that. I know that, at the end of the day, my decision to protect and attack on the behalf of Uruk grants me pardon from your hatred and ire. I know that my care and pleasant words kindle that strange look in your newly colored eyes.” 

Hakuno could feel his breath on her face, those features so close as he set his goblet aside. 

“You understand better than any other the dangers of allowing these privileged mongrels to survive. Deep down, there is a solace with being the reaction of another. Formed and crafted through mindfulness and thought rather than bodily action and patience. The age of human reign, these winners of the biological gambling, should end. Allow the beings created of another manner to forge forth.” 

“At the end of the day, we are still as human as them.” 

“Are we?” Berserker laughed. “Tell me, Hakuno. When you bleed out, does your mind stray to regrets and what could have beens? Do you ponder the basic needs of mankind like sex and family? Or rather, do you think about what you will do when you return to your feet? Do you instead stare into the face of death and spit in their face, taking them on in the boldest of manners, despite your average strength and appearance?” 

“That has nothing to do with-“

“It has everything to do with the value of humans and of the created beings.” The man resumed his position, effortlessly draped across the cushions that had been set upon the entrance area of the palace, so that he could look down upon the people. “You are so attached to the humans. It makes me think how you will respond when it is time.” 

“Time?” 

He smirked her way, “I can’t imagine it will take long. I have taken you last night successfully and that was not our first time meeting one another tit for tat. Your body will form another being, an offspring to bring about the start to a new age.” 

Her body tensed. “You actually want that?” 

The amount of insanity in that alone was overwhelming. 

Gilgamesh wasn’t that kind of person. He was rough with her, heartless and bloodthirsty with others. The berserker didn’t spend a single second to think about what would happen if he acted a certain way or declared actions in a certain manner. He had created a war they couldn’t back down from, stolen away a handful of the most successful artists and gifted people that had come seeking sanctuary in the golden walls of Uruk. 

Gods, it wasn’t even about the people. Gilgamesh hated the gods. He hated insolence and anyone that opposed him. A child- Gods, a life that opposed him in black and white, like that of a child opposing their parents- would be killed. There would not be room for mistakes or hesitations. 

“It scares you,” he noted. “That does not surprise me. Expectant mothers are often fearful of what could go wrong.” 

“You’d kill them.” 

The words escaped her before she could stop them. At the admission, Hakuno tried to scoot away from him, but his arms latched around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. 

“Why would I kill something I am trying to bring life to?” 

The tone was softer. It wasn’t right. 

Hakuno bit her lip, shaking her head. There was no good way to answer that. He would ask why his child would want to oppose him. She would lead the conversation in the only direction it could go: into why she didn’t think what he was doing was right. 

“Hakuno… Divine magician,” he purred. She could feel his lips against her neck. 

It wasn’t Archer. 

She needed to bear in mind: it was not Archer that was holding her in this manner and speaking to her like he did in the depths of the night. 

Yet Berserker persisted. Those honeyed words dripped forth. “It is the violence. It must be. You think of my only friend when you speak of such things. You think of what the frail, inconsistent gods think they can do to the unborn child should we attempt what I have planned. I do not blame you for this logic. It’s sound.” 

Gods, she hadn’t even thought of that. 

Hakuno glanced over her shoulder at him, trying to find words to that. 

Enlil would not protect anything that came from him. Hell, she could not protect anything if all the other gods were against it. They were gods for a reason. It was like fighting Chaldea itself for survival. 

The war against Nippur and Ur was nothing more than child’s play in comparison. 

Berserker was-

“I am not that soft of mind,” the man murmured, pressing his lips to hers. “I simply understand what the gods were incapable of understanding: the beings created by hand are capable of doing far more. They are- you are- capable of so much more.” 

He motioned to the lions nearby. 

“Already you have shown me your claws, your sense of maternal instinct. You encompassed this city within your arms, holding each person to your chest. It is not the people you send forth to fight against the opposition. It is yourself. You. Just as a lioness forages forth for the kills for their young, you forage forth, mowing them down in your wake. You adorn yourself in the sins of this city’s own king because that is what gives you pleasure. You take pleasure in the more elusive, my divine one. Things that cannot be bought with gold or jewels.” 

They were simply pretty words. She shouldn’t-

“Open your eyes,” he commanded in that Archer like tone. “Behold me when I praise you. It does not take the gods to recognize the truest essence of power. It does not take a man to realize the when he has found his match.” 

His hands cupped her face, his lips pressing against hers once more. 

“Hakuno. Behold me with those eyes that mimic the very center of the earth. Show me the very gaze that bleeds admiration for me.” 

It wasn’t the words that did her in. It was the sound of explosions. The lights made her open her eyes, her gaze flickering towards the edge of the city as Berserker chuckled. 

“You will see. I shall leave no fragment behind of any of those gods. For you and for them before you, the gods shall perish.” 

“The gods are necessary,” Hakuno told him, turning away from the fireworks. 

“Are we incapable of being accountable for ourselves?” 

It wasn’t like that. There were other things. The gods lightened the role of judgement from the king’s shoulders. The gods harnessed the elements, creating the possibility for life and order for this world. If they were gone…

“I think I’m going to lay down,” Hakuno murmured. 

“I shall join you in a while,” the man informed her, turning his gaze to the evening skies. “Think upon my words in the meantime. My decision has been in response to you, my divine mage. It will not stray.” 

She couldn’t listen to him right now. 

The thoughts of what had happened with the intruders and with fighting had echoed in her mind over the course of the day. She couldn’t think of anything else when she had seen the soldiers entering the city. Her hands had twitched, as though longing to hold another weapon. It had felt like she was seeing the intruders enter again, even though she knew they were her own people. 

Gods, her throat had closed when she had felt Berserker’s hand press against the small of her back. He had moved to her side, calling out to the soldiers to rest and drink. He had informed them of the festival to be had for their efforts. 

Each step felt so heavy as she walked away from him. 

He did not see the value in the people of Uruk. All he could see was through his lens of insanity, through his loss of Enkidu. Not even bringing the being here would most likely be successful. If anything, she could see the being becoming entangled just as she was. 

Her pace quickened, moving into the bedchambers and shutting the door. She moved the latch into place, sighing as it settled onto the golden resting place. 

A cloak wrapped around her shoulders. A pair of arms turned her, lifting her up off her feet and holding her tight. The scent of the king’s cologne tickled at her nose. 

“Caster,” she breathed. 

The man shook his head, his arms holding her tighter to his person. “I should carry you off through the lions’ path and take you to safety.” 

“Berserker would lose his mind.” 

“As though it is not already lost,” the man scoffed. “You were away from my side for too long, Hakuno. Stop your squirming and allow my body to recognize yours.” 

It had been too long. She wouldn’t disagree with his statement. Her face pressed against his chest, her body feeling like it had been bundled in the first blanket of security in decades. It felt like she had not experienced comfort in so long. 

And she could feel Caster tilting her head up towards his own. Those lips pressed against hers. Warm, deep, smooth kisses. The man kissed her like he needed to kiss to survive. He kissed her as though he had to find her lips in particular to live. No one could manage these touches, a kindling for the feeling that began to bubble forth from her chest. 

Her whole body felt so warm. 

“You’re crying,” Caster observed, laughing a little. “I do not blame you. You’ve been without me so long. And you’ve become stronger. I sense that with you. It must be that divinity. We shall take care of that once this is done.” 

Whatever he meant could be understood later. Her lips pressed against his again. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders again. 

Another laugh. He carried her towards the bed, meeting her affections time and time again. 

“We need to discuss what’s to come,” Caster reminded her. 

“We do,” she agreed. Her hands held onto him tightly. 

A smirk grew more prominent on his face. Once more, she found him looming over her, climbing onto the bed so he could continue to dominate their play. 

“Gil…”

“You are distracting,” he accused, holding her hips as he kissed her again. “Very. Distracting. I am supposed to be here to see how you are faring and make a plan for my return to the others. Instead, all I can think about is how beautiful you look adorned in the fabrics of Ninsun and how badly I wish to simply leave my chamber doors latched and have my way with you.” 

“After this is done,” she breathed. 

Gilgamesh nodded, eyes glinting in mischief. “After this is done,” he agreed. “I will hold you to that, Hakuno.” 

“Berserker is taking the soldiers and going after Nippur tomorrow,” Hakuno told him. “You and Archer should slip to the outskirts of the city and wait for him to return with the troops.” 

“He is attacking Nippur?” 

“Ur is destroyed,” Hakuno told him. “Nippur is next.” 

Caster growled slightly, brushing a hand through his hair as he sat up. “A foolish action, considering the ramifications of both cities being destroyed. Nanna’s and Enlil’s divine protection of the two cities means that the gods will be stirred into action. Death of anyone important…” Caster glanced over at her. “…Is that why you are now divine?” 

“It was all I could think to do… The gods needed someone to take on the essence of divinity from Nanna. Ishtar was wounded and missing to them. They’re afraid of what Berserker might do-“

“Hakuno,” Caster shook his head. “You cannot receive gifts without paying a tithe. What did you promise them?” 

“I swore to take care of Berserker… Should he go too far.” 

Caster growled. “Did they say Berserker or my true name? Hakuno, think back carefully.” 

Think back carefully. She couldn’t even think straight. Her mind was clouded by the fact that they were together and back in his bed. There was no one and nothing right now. It was merely the two of them taking comfort in one another. There was just this wondrous feeling in her body, telling her that things would be alright because he was here. 

All that time with Archer in the Moon Cell and in Chaldea, her mind associated home with him and Caster now. Her person was only at peace when they were close at hand. 

“Hakuno?” Caster looked over at her. 

“I can’t remember, Gil. It’s been too long. Too much has happened.” She shook her head, earning a sigh from the man. 

“Too far is a vague statement so you are lucky in that regard. Nonetheless, bringing Archer here would not be successful. Berserker is at an advantage with us. He has speed. I did not expect his capabilities of hiding and dodging to be at the level they are at. I imagine the soldiers would not be so willing to go against him either, after seeing the blood he has spilt.” 

“What do you suggest?” 

“I’m not sure.” Caster shook his head. “Archer remained behind to greet the Chaldeans. They were warned to come here.” 

“So the singularity has begun again.” 

“Hmm?” 

Hakuno shook her head. “Enlil informed me that a singularity has begun. He wanted things resolved before that point, but I couldn’t…”

She couldn’t kill the one person that had needed to die. 

“I will retrieve the grail then,” Caster told her simply. “Unlike the strengthening that Gudako uses them for, I shall wish away the problem.” 

“Caster-“

There was no way to simply wish away the problem. Even the most careful of thinking could end with him slaughtering all Berserkers or all of the versions of himself. 

He stopped her words though, pressing his lips to hers. “I will take care of him, with the assistance of my arrogant double. Then we will sit here again on this bed and I will remove that divinity from you. We shall throw it back to the gods and work to slowly repair the damage that has been done. Uruk will compromise, if it means getting back slowly to agreements. We may lose land.” 

They couldn’t afford to lose land. 

Uruk required what land it had. Giving an inch… It would only mean that the other cities would wonder once more when he would lose his mind again. They would pick and pick at the edges of Uruk until it was war or it was the end. 

“I never wanted to be king,” Caster murmured. “I know how to rule and I do it well. There is nothing stopping us from ruling over Chaldea.” 

Hakuno shook her head. “This is your home.” 

Caster snorted. “This home has cost me endless nights of no rest. I have died in these very walls, slumped over a desk and trying to hold together pieces of a memory of someone I needed to allow to rest. I have you and I have Enkidu.” 

It was this city that had his mother though. It was this city that he and Enkidu had worked so hard to defend. Hakuno opened her mouth to argue, but found him pressing his lips to hers. 

“I am thinking aloud, Hakuno. Allow me my thoughts. I am not simply going to surrender Uruk to a tyrant who spills the blood of my people. When the fight begins, I only ask that you find shelter within my office doors. Do not let anyone in. Do not speak to anyone who comes to find you. I will send you my decisions and thoughts through prayer, since you are able to hear me right now in that manner.” He pulled back, shaking his head. “You hold too much power, Hakuno.” 

“I can handle it,” Hakuno argued. 

“You can, but should you?” The man pulled away. “It’s not the strength itself that one needs to be concerned about handling. It is the sense of responsibility that comes with that strength. How do you hold yourself accountable? Where do you draw the line? I trust you, but there are too many divines who cannot control themselves.” 

The lecture wasn’t needed. 

“I will return to you,” Caster murmured. She felt him kiss her once more before he headed for the window, slipping back out into the night with the cloak that had been around her shoulders. The swirling fabrics flapped in the wind for only a moment, disappearing from view. 

Caster was wrong. 

It was all she could think. 

There was nothing wrong with the divinity she had gotten from the gods. She used it to protect the people of Uruk. She was doing what he would have done. And he wouldn’t have given up so easily on Uruk. At the end of the day, he would see that. He would note that, yes, there were things that were more important such as Enkidu, but the city was his homeland and the people were his responsibility. The people loved him. They-

A blade slipped through the side of the door to the room, knocking the lock from its place. The door opened in a fluid motion, presenting Gilgamesh Berserker. 

“Locking me out?” 

Hakuno shook her head. “Unintentionally.” 

He nodded, moving quietly into the room and returning the lock to its proper place. With that done, she watched him strolled to the bedside, standing before her. 

“You’re bothered,” he stated. 

“Just tired.” 

“No,” he shook his head. “I have seen you fatigued. The look on your face says that my own is not as welcomed as it was earlier. What has happened?” 

He was perceptive. Hakuno shook her head again. “I was just thinking of what Caster would do if he were to be in our position.” 

“Something weak, I imagine.” The blond ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it back to its normal wild state. “I would not put it past him to compromise, seeing as the people of those other cities were residing right under his nose.” 

“Compromise would mean the end of Uruk.” 

Berserker smiled, “It would. The other kingdoms would leech upon the kindness of the Uruk, sucking away the life of these people until your city was nothing more than dried up desert. I have seen it before. When I mourned, they came.” 

“And what did you do?” 

Her body shivered at the pleasure that etched itself onto the man’s face. “I used the very thing I hated the most about myself, the divinity that runs thick through my veins, to destroy everything. I ensured nothing in this world would remain: not god, nor man, nor life. Life had lost all meaning, when I truly lost it all.” 

Hakuno moved quietly, leaning against the man. 

His arms wrapped around her tightly. His lips near her ear. 

“Let’s get the grail,” Hakuno murmured. “After Nippur is handled, I think we should find the grail and keep Uruk protected.” Even from the king’s own weakness, she added silently. 

“A wise decision, as expected of someone I found suitable enough for my equal,” the man purred. “You are still blinding my eyes with your appearance this evening. That mind of yours is still transfixed upon your ends. Such entertainment. I look forward to seeing what our combined efforts will bring forth.” 

“If we have a child,” Hakuno warned him. “He will be a citizen of Uruk. You won’t ever be allowed to harm him.” 

“He will be mine, as you are mine,” Berserker replied in a bored tone. He whistled, noting the lions returning to the chambers through the window area. “Cease with your thinking and tend to me, my harimtu. There is much I must repent.” 


	14. A Treasure in the Gardens

“Enkidu.”

“I know what you want. We were informed to stay and keep the Chaldeans from moving out and mowing down Hakuno in defense of the world.” 

The king shifted, adjusting the Nippur robes with his nose wrinkled. He’d been fidgeting with them for a while now, playing the diplomat for Uruk quite well. Not that he wanted to, in fact, he was quite sure that the being was going to continue to allow these mongrels to insult him in this manner. 

Well, Enkidu and Caster were both allowing this to happen to him. 

Caster, unbeknownst to him, was trapezing into Uruk. He was going to see if he could gain an audience with Hakuno. He’d told Enkidu. He’d told the king of Nippur and their diplomat. 

Who didn’t he tell? 

Him. 

The one who had originally met Hakuno. The one who had wandered through the Moon Cell with Hakuno. The one who had brought Hakuno to Chaldea and who had gotten her accustomed to its halls and to being their other half. 

If any one of him and his other selves deserved to visit Hakuno…

Archer stood up, tossing the infuriating garment off himself. This forest green and ivory were poor substitutes for his gold and crimson colors. 

“Enkidu!” 

The being sighed, looking up at Shamhat’s smooth expression and pausing in their soft cooing to her. “My friend, you must allow your other self to plan things for once. We are in his domain. He loves his kingdom and will do what is best.” 

“It is my kingdom as well and he is going to meet what is mine!” He glanced at Shamhat before tsking. The being was distracted. They didn’t realize what was necessary. 

“Would you feel better if we slipping into Uruk in the morning?” 

Gilgamesh paused. “The morning?” 

Enkidu nodded. “Caster made me vow to them that I would keep you here during the evening, but he said nothing about the morning. We could slip through the streets as we did when you were younger, slip into the palace and wait for a moment to speak to Hakuno.” 

“Do you think that mongrel mutt will notice?” 

Once more, the being was toying with Shamhat, overly affectionate and adoring. There was a terrible and insolent pain developing in his head from the sight of it. Adorned in another kingdom’s finery, colluding against his own kingdom, ignoring blatant problems at hand; it was unacceptable. 

“Enkidu!” 

“My friend,” Enkidu groaned, “you are upset. I understand. Right now, I am to keep you here. We will slip into Uruk at dawn and find your Hakuno before anyone takes notice. We can slip in through the gardens. There’s so much life in them, no one will notice.” 

Archer settled back into place, sighing. “Fine.” 

“Hakuno is far stronger than anyone I have met who has stayed in the palace,” Shamhat told him, as though that were not blatantly obvious. “I am sure she is fine, my king.” 

“Ah, Shamhat,” Enkidu chimed in. “It is not that which bothers our king. He grows restless.” 

Immensely restless, he thought in agreement. Waiting and waiting, listening and arguing for over a day. Hearing news of Ur’s demise and finding that his Hakuno was a divine being now who wouldn’t answer his damn prayers but would happily answer Caster…

His eyes drifted to his empty wineglass, noting its emptiness before he glanced at the servant near the door. 

“This glass is empty, mongrel!” 

The slumbering boy leaped up at his shout, stumbling over his own lanky stature as he scurried off like the rat he was to fill his cup once more. A tsk came from Enkidu, no doubt in response to his pouring his own glass after a moment and draining its contents. 

“Imbibe a little less tonight, my friend. You do know that Hakuno hates your drinking habits.” 

She did. 

She hated it deeply. None too shy about letting him have it for drinking too greatly in her presence or returning to her side intoxicated. She would smack him a good few times as well, before he’d pin her down and tell her exactly how blasphemous it was to strike a king. 

And then she’d glare up at him and tell him that she didn’t want him poisoning himself. 

And then he’d tell her that it was fine. He was in control of his vices. 

And then she’d inform him that vices can become habits. 

Hakuno knew that lovely little fact immensely, since often those times he pinned her down would turn into her taking him into her arms and providing him countless hours of affections and devotion. He knew every inch of that body, every faucet of that face when she made those softer expressions. 

There was a valiant effort made to keep her responses to him in. She tried to hold herself back. 

But her waist was so sensitive to his touch. Her chest and the perfect amount of pressure had her body arching in that delightful form. He had thought deeply about the way her body responded to his when he delved into the cups. 

Hakuno was a flawless work of art. Biological architecture both plain and yet mesmerizing to his eyes. 

The wine the boy brought was passed to Enkidu, Archer’s eyes straying to the window as he awaited the rising sun. 

Slowly, mind-numbingly slow to be honest, the sky turned from its deep navy to its proud crimson and orange. The two near him had fallen asleep, entangled in one another as they so often were when together. 

Was Hakuno tangled in his bedsheets? Was she caring for his lions in his absence? 

The king moved to his feet, nudging at the green-haired being. “Enkidu.” 

Enkidu groaned. 

“You promised me dawn.” 

Those pale eyes opened, looking up at him before glancing at Shamhat. “…Tomorrow?” 

“I sense trouble with Hakuno. We need to leave immediately,” he informed the being. It wasn’t entirely false. He had sensed unrest the moment she refused to answer his prayers. A goddess needed to know who to speak to and respond to. Doing so with Caster was cruel. 

“Fine, fine.” They moved. Languidly, but they moved. He found the being looking around a moment before his clothes were switched out for his white robes. His necklace was firmly in place now. They leaned over the harimtu, kissing her cheek gently. “I am taking my king to quell his anger. I will be back as soon as I can.” 

She hummed. 

Quell his anger. There was almost an unerring urge to smack the being for that comment. 

He swapped to a peasant’s cloak, disliking the texture as he had disliked his prior attire’s colors. They drifted through the halls, avoiding the Chaldeans as they meandered into the streets. And then farther they went, moving to the crest of a hill outside of the city. 

Enkidu held him back. 

“Soldiers.” 

He could see that. Archer cursed. “They are attacking Nippur now.” 

“I need to return to help Shamhat to safety. Ishtar will be killed as well.” 

“Screw the useless goddess, but warn the Chaldeans to prepare for war before you assist your woman. They will not appreciate being leapt upon in their sleep.” 

Enkidu nodded, rushing towards where they had come. 

Gilgamesh shook his head, glancing at the marching smattering of soldiers heading his direction. Countless men of his, whom he had raised and judged over effectively all this time. This was where his good nature had brought him. 

His gates opened, the bike dropping down onto the ground. 

There was no point in fighting them right now. If the army was advancing, then the Berserker was seeking him and Caster out. He was looking for a fight and would be effectively distracted while he went for his woman. 

Caster would end up in the fight, but that was fine. 

Arrogant pest that he was, it was good for the caster to end up in a fight or two. Perhaps the insane version of them would knock sense into the mage king. 

He slung a leg over the bike, kicking the stand up and revving the thing to life. The dust kicked up around him, ground speeding beneath his feet as he took off away from the army and Nippur. Further and further away, until he could not see them anymore. And then he turned his direction, speeding towards Uruk. He could see the gates rising before him. He could see the merchants streaming into the city. He let the gates open, leaping from his bike and letting it zip into them before closing them. 

For a moment, he let his body regain a sense of steadiness. 

And then he rushed for one of the wagons, leaping behind it and up into the cargo hold. 

The wagon bounced and puttered along into the city, moving through the streets. 

When it slowed, he dropped into one of the alleyways. 

Home. 

It felt good to be back amongst his people. He was where he needed to be, protecting and leading those who had grown to respect and acknowledge him. He pulled the hood of his cloak up, meandering now from one shadowed area to another. 

He took to the stairs as the guards swap occurred, knowing the fools who lacked in their responsibilities. A helpful fact at times, although he often warned his guards of the flaw when war was afoot. 

Not this time, his fake self had not thought of it. 

He drifted into the gardens rather than confront the next set of guards. The cloak was left near the entrance, discreetly set aside for his escape. He moved through the flowers and trees, watching the area, thinking carefully about where his Hakuno would be. 

He slipped into the main hallway and up towards the upper gardens. 

It had come to his attention a while back that Hakuno had a deep love for his library and upper gardens area. The small structure he had constructed with its bench and view of the fountains had become her favorite place. Time and time again, he had stumbled upon her, nose buried in a book or face simply glowing as she watched the lions frolic amongst the catnip. 

Sure enough, she was there, a book in her lap. The lions were up to their mischief, rolling and making small sounds of agreement to the plants that had just been planted to replace the last that they had rolled and trampled in their merriment. 

“Hakuno…”

The woman stilled, her hands tightening on her book as her gaze flew to him. 

Anxiety marred her face, her shoulders had bunched up at the sight of him. That book, the useless thing, was held so tight that her knuckles turned to a snowy white. 

“A-archer…?”

He snorted, moving forward and letting his Uruk attire come into fruition. His eyes drank in the sight of her as he came to stand before her. “You make it seem that the useless mongrel that has taken you uses my voice.” 

She stared at him, still staring up at him with those wide eyes. 

A smirk came to his face. “I believe the words you are looking for are, ‘I missed you, great archer and servant of mine.’.” 

“I…” She turned her gaze away, wiping at an eye quickly. “I did miss you. I’m sure my eyes still look odd. Caster said that we could quickly get rid of my divinity after we get things resolved. I know it’s annoying to see divinity when you hate the gods-“

“Hakuno.” 

He settled onto the bench beside her, finding her averting her gaze still. 

“I have a talisman,” Hakuno went on. “It’s Ishtar’s and it reverts my eyes to my normal brown, but… I can’t hear the prayers when I-“

“Hakuno,” Archer tilted her chin to look at him. 

The ruby color was like the finest of his gem collection, gleaming some of the light behind him back as she gazed up at him. They were such a deep, bold color; like a fine wine or the richest of his tapestries. Had she the golden hair, he would have sought her out originally on the pleasure of her person alone. Still, there was something to be said about the rich mahogany that tumbled over her shoulders. It made her a harder find. A more interesting and surprising yet plain creature. 

“Gil,” she murmured, calling his attention away from the radiant gaze she now gave. 

“Do you hate your divinity that greatly?” 

“You do.” 

A valid point. He did. They were useless, arrogant things with no sense of value. His mother was an exception, having faced great war over her interest in a human. 

Hakuno was normally weaker though, possessing average strength and mana. Truly, it had only been her stubbornness and defiance that had appealed to him. Time and time again, he had watched her stumble and climb once more to her feet. He had watched her claw and bite at anything in her way. Like a great warrior in mind, she coped with her obvious flaws. 

Divinity with that mind of hers? 

“You are an exception,” he conceded. He leaned in, keeping their eyes locked on one another. There was no doubt in him as he said those words. Those red eyes were alluring to him. As was her power increase that had no doubt come along with it. 

“Caster-“

“Is a tired king who is doing whatever he pleases. And then you have that snake stealing you and my city away.” He brushed a hand through that hair. His eyes dropped to the tome she now held so loosely it was slipping. 

Covering her hand with his own, he lifted the text, reading the title only to frown. 

“Birthing?” 

“Berserker has been… interested in an heir.” Her face burned, that gaze averting once more from him. 

It was audacious. 

The gods would have been after her in an instant if she had a child. They would stop at nothing, unless she made certain sacrifices. His insane self’s demise, for one. No doubt his own and Caster’s deaths as well. Even then, they would hesitate at allowing her to have her child live. 

“Archer,” Hakuno shook her head. “I don’t know how to move forward. Caster wants to give up Uruk, but… I don’t know that I can let it go.” She motioned at the gardens around them, those eyes misting over. “I’ve spent so much time here with you and Caster. I’ve watched you interact with the people and laugh at the youths in the city. I’ve seen you perform ceremony after speech after religious practice. I don’t want to slaughter the world like Berserker does. This war with the gods… And wanting to create a whole new world… He’s fixated on the fact that I was created in the Moon Cell. He points out that I’m not human over and over again, Gil. It’s just…” She brushed a hand through her bangs. 

“Do you want a child?” 

She hadn’t mentioned anything more about that in her venting. The woman had pointed out the flaws with his other selves. Obvious ones, he had to admit. Caster was being a fool. Berserker would lose her, if only because of his reminder of her lack of humanity. More so, his refusal to see that she had come to view this world he had built and all its vices as her own home. 

Corner squirrels like his Hakuno would become feral if pushed too far. 

His gaze flickered to the scratch on her arm, speaking up as she remained silent. 

“You were harmed.” 

“Oh… Ur soldiers. The last of them came to try to slaughter some of the citizens. I went out with the lions and killed them.” 

Killed them? 

So she was already pushing back. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to himself as he turned his attention to the fountain nearby. 

How long until she slaughtered his berserker self, he wondered. It wouldn’t take too long, although the consequences would be fierce. She would see he had lost sight of himself, become something that he would never have approved of. She would try to kill him for no other reason than she could not bear to see him at odds with himself as that snake was. 

His lips pressed against her temple. 

“I’ve always enjoyed your stubbornness, Hakuno,” he told her. “Even when we were on the Moon Cell, you pressed on. Even when you faltered, you knew what needed to be done to move forward. You still know now.” 

“I don’t know this time.” 

That voice was so soft, so weak. 

“Why do you want my child, Hakuno?” 

They could start there. 

“I keep thinking maybe the child will calm Berserker. Maybe it will make Caster rethink his plan to abandon Uruk. It’s been echoing in my head and I can’t think of anything else.” Those eyes, ah, but he was attached and taken with them so deeply already; those eyes looked up at him. They glistened, making him wipe at them to do away with the insolence to their beauty. “I had the gods check this morning, but there’s nothing. Berserker’s been unsuccessful.” 

“There’s a reason for that.” 

“Hmm?” 

Archer shook his head. “Honesty, Hakuno. That is not why you want a child. It’s an excuse. Tell me why.” 

“I miss you.” 

Flawless words, they clenched his chest with their bluntness. He had to take a second to remember to breathe. 

“You want a child of that beast’s?” 

She bit her lip a moment before shaking her head. 

“Caster’s?” 

Another shake of her head. 

His. 

It was humbling, but then, Hakuno always was in the end. Her meager purse, her average appearance and capabilities; it all humbled him. Yet there always was that surprise she gave him. That bit of strength she showed when he least expected it that punched him time and time again. 

His lips pressed against hers. 

“I heard that this world became a singularity,” Hakuno murmured, pulling away. “I keep thinking that maybe, with the grail, I can wish to return to the start. I can get everyone to stay together and defeat Berserker.” 

“Then you develop a time loop. Your mind will go back, but we would question why. It would not go as planned or you’d merely summon him again later.” 

“I could wish him away?” 

Archer chuckled. His beautiful, plain fool. His gaze narrowed on her. “Wishing him away would wish away all of us. Or weaken us. There is no wish on the grail that is useful except the wish to strengthen us as Gudako has done.” 

“I could wish for Berserker to be sane.” 

A not berserk berserker. 

“You have met Cu alter. His own singularity was done because, in the end, he remains a berserker. He speaks and acts with a clear and critical thinking mind.” 

“Caster wants to find the grail.” 

“Caster used the cup as a teacup when he was in his own singularity,” he countered. His self-proclaimed mage self hadn’t the slightest idea about how to use the grail. He would no doubt try to use it like Hakuno had offered. 

No, the man was a fool. 

Archer pulled her onto his lap, setting her book aside and tilting her face to look up at him. “Does berserker know that the grail is around?” 

“He plans to find it. After he attacks Nippur, he’s going hunting for it. He thinks he can sense it.” 

If so, that wasn’t good. They would need to get onto that task of finding it before things went too far. Before then, he found himself pausing. 

“…What did Berserker think of the child?” 

“He wants it. I used a command spell to make him not to hurt the citizens of Uruk and he agreed the child would be a citizen.” 

They could stop him. 

Killing him would be pointless. The bastard would be summoned again. However, there were other methods. 

“How much do you trust me, Hakuno?” 

“Too much.” 

He laughed, the sound echoing in the gardens. The lions stopped their frolicking, glancing his way as he lifted her up into his arms. 

A guest room would have to do. The beast had ruined the sanctity of his chambers. 

Her arms held onto his shoulders, the book she had was abandoned to its place on the bench as he whistled to the beasts. 

They would watch the door. 

They moved quickly, avoiding the guard stations and slipping into his spare upper bedrooms. He tossed her to the bed, pulling his attire off as she stared at him. 

“You wished for this, did you not?” 

She nodded. 

A necklace dropped from the gates, falling into his hands before he fixed it into place. The necklace had been a peace offering, gifted to him by the god Nanna himself after he had taken yet another wife and had endured his words echoed back to him that he had given to Ishtar. 

The god had thrust the necklace at him, demanding he at least provide his mother an heir, even if it were not with the god’s own daughter. 

He had opted for the incapability to give a child to someone. 

Until now. 

Gilgamesh climbed over Hakuno’s person, pressing his lips to hers time and time again. Her robes opened far too easily, showing Hakuno’s lack of knowledge still in his own culture. It was fine though. She once more persisted in attempting to learn. She once more showed her fealty. 

He spread her legs without hesitation and pushed himself into the warmth of her body’s embrace. He marveled once more at the oversized chest and how it overfilled his palms, at the waist that made her twist and turn, tightening around him. 

That sweet voice tried to stave off. Her body tensed, trying to hold back from giving him the pleasure he wanted from her. 

Of all the times for her to behave in such a manner. 

“Hakuno,” he breathed, rocking himself in time to her hips. His hands held her sides, gingerly since there were bruises there from another’s hands. 

The beast had tried to do this with his Hakuno. 

Caster had failed at giving her what she needed as well. 

“Gilgamesh,” Hakuno, the minx, tightened those muscles around him, making him groan. 

The beast had added fire to his woman. 

Naturally, she had become stronger from this. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Hakuno always pushed her limits, becoming something greater through his efforts time and time again. His lips pressed against hers, forcing himself to slow, to tease her. 

But her body seemed to fight him with fire, those hips moving against him more. She planted those arms of hers into the mattress and wrapped those smooth legs around his waist. Those arms wrapped around him and she rolled them. 

Rolled him! 

He fell onto his back, staring up at her as she kissed him hard. 

Her body was dominating over everything. She moved at a pace that had him simply closing his eyes, cursing softly. It was great, greater than he had pictured her capable of. Every inch of that body made his body feel alive. His eyes drank her in. His hands touched and marveled, noting the way she shook and moved. 

It was rising, building within him. He wouldn’t last with this. 

Hakuno’s stubbornness won again. 

There was no other choice but to allow it. No other option but to marvel at how she made him respond. This slayer of Uruk kings, goddess of the moon now, his mind reminded him. She gazed down at him with those eyes and he felt himself gasping. He felt his hold of her tighten. 

“Show me more,” he demanded. “Take me in deeper.” 

Her lips covered his own. She bit him, making him writhe. The last of his hold was gone, his body spilling into her. He took advantage of the shock of it, rolling them over and slamming himself in deep. He kissed her, letting the mana flow between them as he let himself fill her beyond her limits. 

“Stay with me,” she breathed. 

“Stay by my side,” he countered. 

Their bodies simply gave in as he pulled out of her. Dropping to her side, he pulled her into his arms, but could not do anything more than that. 

Hakuno kissed him. 

“We can check with the priests later,” he murmured to her. 

“I will have to do it alone. Berserker is watching the guards. I think he spotted Enlil the other day.” 

“Enlil?” 

Hakuno nodded to him. “The god was trying to help me. I ended up having to reveal that I had taken Nanna’s powers in order to distract Berserker.” 

So the old coot of fate was roaming the area. It couldn’t have been good if he was involved. The man was untrusting, critical of anything pertaining to the gods. 

“He has been helping, when he can,” Hakuno told him. 

Gilgamesh pressed his lips to hers, shaking his head as he pulled back. “I have a plan. I assume you don’t like the idea of killing any version of me.” 

She nodded, pursing her lips a bit. 

A laugh escaped him, face pressed close to hers. “You must trust me without hesitation, Hakuno. Whatever I do, however much you don’t like it.” 

“Could you tell me the plan?” 

“You cannot lie,” Archer warned. “You’d give everything away. I need you focused on what we have just brought forth.” 

She frowned at him, as to be expected. 

“Do you trust me?” he asked again. 

“Too much,” she repeated, starting back up their play. 

It was as the sun was sinking that he found himself wrapping the cloak around his shoulders, feeling Hakuno’s hands holding his waist. Looking down, he could see her hesitating. 

How easy it would be, to steal the woman whom the guards called the Queen of Uruk. He could slip away from everyone, stealing his little woman and master to the edge of this world. He could watch her belly grow and her body prepare for what was to come. She’d become more loving, much like his lionesses did before giving birth. 

He could see her in his mind’s eye, begging him to come to bed, dominating over him. 

Oh, but he couldn’t mock the caster now. 

He had never imagined anything as sultry. 

“You have to leave,” Hakuno told him, almost mourning the fact as she said it. 

He cupped that face in his hands, pressing his lips to hers once more. He stole away one more for the road, something to think upon as he slept in the territory of Uruk’s enemies. 

“Gilgamesh,” she breathed. Those ruby colored eyes looked up at him, hands holding his. “…I love you.” 

So, so very easily he could take her. 

“I must go help Enkidu,” he argued, more to himself than her. He pet a couple of the lions, listening to them purr around his legs and comfort his woman. “Don’t plan anything for this war. Don’t ponder what comes next or how we will fix this. The only thing I want your mind on is how you will raise my son to love the lions as you do. You’ll teach him how you show patience with that caster form of me and that idiotic child.” 

She smiled, “They’re not that bad.” 

He kissed her again, to shut her up. “Only our child.” 

“I’ll focus on our baby,” she promised him. 

He glanced at the doors, noting the guards laughing with one another. He had to go or there would not be time to go. He growled at the woman before him, bringing her face close to his own once more and kissing her again. 

“It is about time that I took the lead in our battles, Hakuno. You must be a good servant and listen.” 

“I trust you.” 

He gave her a smug smirk, rushing through the doors and taking the stairs quickly. The sun had sunk, hiding away as he did amongst his own people. He listened to the sound of the women of his kingdom lament in their homes about their fighting husbands. He listened to the sounds of children asking if their fathers would return. 

His own mind went to the child he was leaving unprotected. 

He’d return. 

“Gilgamesh.” 

Just as he was about to climb into one of the last merchant wagons, he found himself pausing. His eyes flickered to the woman behind him, cloaked and skulking as well. 

“Mother.” 

She ran to him, hugging him tightly and kissing his forehead. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the wagon with him just as the owners beckoned the thing into motion. 

He would choose a farmer’s wagon, filled with straw. 

“I sensed you,” she breathed, raining her affections on him as usual. No doubt put out by the berserker’s erroneous behavior. ”And then I sense life brewing in the palace. Did you find Hakuno? Where is she?” 

“She is still there,” he whispered, motioning her to be quiet. “I am leading this assault on Berserker.” 

“Of course. You are my most logical of sons,” she agreed. “But could you not take her?” 

“I need her there, if only to have the priests let that bastard know that Hakuno is carrying a child.” 

Ninsun paled. “He will kill-“

“He can’t hurt the infant,” Gilgamesh countered, grinning. “Hakuno used a command spell. He will die if he touches the kid. I will use the Chaldeans to subdue the bastard and will blame the gods for his insanity. Nippur already believes this is due to their slighting Ereshkigal. I imagine that the goddess will not feel inclined to argue, seeing as it will gain her more admiration from them, if not a bit more fear of her wrath.” 

“And then?” 

He snorted, leaning back a little and watching her carefully. 

“Gilgamesh?” 

“Come now, Enlil. My mother would not treat me this overly affectionate at the news that I left my pregnant woman in the palace to meet a monster. Do not play games with me.” 

The elder formed before his eyes, stroking his beard a bit as he coughed. “You humored me for a moment there.” 

“I did. You have cared for my woman.” 

The man nodded. “She’s losing the strength to resist Berserker. I thought I would have to fight her, until you came upon the scene. Your guards will wake up in a few minutes, by the way. Your Berserker self warned them of that weakness in the defense around the palace.” 

Damn. 

The god chuckled, watching the gates of Uruk pass the back of the wagon. “So you intend to wound him mentally, since he has interest in Hakuno.” 

“He won’t harm the child.” 

Enlil nodded. “He won’t be pleased that it is yours. Clever move, on your part. Your other selves will not protest greatly against it being yours.” 

“What is this meeting about, Enlil.” 

“I have come to join you in requesting Nippur’s army.” 

“Oh?” 

Surprising. The patron god showing himself to demand that a neighboring kingdom’s leader gets their army for cannon fodder for their soldiers. 

“What do you ask in return?” 

“Your child’s name must bear Ur in it. Out of respect for the nation that has fallen and out of respect for Nanna’s memory.” 

“No.” 

Enlil raised a brow. “Your woman bears his power, but her lack of regard for Ur’s plight will leave those who worship Nanna lacking. Your woman’s power will wane and her body will wilt over time. By the time she gives birth…” 

“A name?” 

“Just part of the name.” 

Gilgamesh ran a hand through his hair. “And you will give me the army I require?” 

“And the horses and weapons that would make your treasury overflow from those gates you show so proudly to your foes,” the man purred. 

“What will the name do?” 

“Inspire a kingdom to rebuild. Inspire the fallen’s friends and extended family to return to those lands and bury the fallen who remain as fodder to the birds and animals of the wild. Your child will show hope and show respect for the gods, who you are going to claim gave their blessing to this insanity.” 

He didn’t like that fact, but he wasn’t arguing it. 

Gilgamesh mulled it over carefully. 

“My child will not be a slave to the gods.” 

“Being of divinity themselves, I would be more concerned with whether the grail will pick them out after their first lifetime as passed.” 

A fair point. 

“You cannot command them into anything, nor can your fellow gods or goddesses. Nor your priests and temple maidens.” 

Those eyes flashed with intrigue. “You assume far more than your woman. Trust is harder with you.” 

“Swear it.” 

“They will not be commanded by my kind or their ilk.” 

“Give me my army, Enlil. You have your agreement.” Ur could be one name in a long line of them for the child. 


	15. The Bastard and the Beast

He’d barely missed the army as they had marched across the hills and plains, but he’d barely made it into Nippur before the onslaught of violence began.

Caster pulled his tome from beneath the fabrics of his cloak, rushing to Gudako’s back and looking at the swarm descending upon them. Countless men, all of his people. He’d seen so many of them before, kneeling before him. They had sought his wisdom, his peaceful and neutral thinking. 

He’d been too slow. 

They were his no longer. 

“Caster!” Gudako shouted at him, shoving him back as a handful of swords slammed down where he had just stood. A laugh echoed over them all, the man of the hour standing above all of them, perched upon one of the overhangs as the soldiers attacked and slaughtered the people. 

“Leave nothing behind,” Berserker roared. More gates opened as he commanded the mass of infidels, swords slamming into a thousand different bodies as the soldiers pressed on. 

Insolent bastard. 

Caster yanked the woman close, firing a round of attacks towards the beast. He could feel Gudako speaking, feel the rumble against his chest as she moved, but he didn’t hear her. His eyes were locked upon the beast’s. 

And the beast’s locked upon him. 

“CASTER-“

“Take the Nippur people into shelter,” Caster commanded, shoving the woman back. “See to the others.” 

The berserker dropped down, smile only turning that much more smug as he pulled open the gates. A sword was pulled forth, gleaming in the sunrise light. 

Caster pulled his axe out, listening to it grind against something at the edge of the gates as he pulled it free. 

Their eyes remained locked on one another. 

“I have been waiting for this, although not with you.” The beast purred. “I assumed I would fight your archer self before you. I have no doubt you won’t take long.” 

Pitiful. 

“To think roaches are permitted to speak amongst my people,” Caster snarled, tightening his grip. 

His movements were quick, precise. 

Each time he brought the rounded blade down upon the beast’s own, he focused. His axe had been built in the finest of Uruk’s smithies. He’d had the gods themselves improve upon it, Ninsun’s own finest steer providing the hide in which it rested when unused and put away. The combination of this resting place and the gods’ efforts created an unbreakable blade, a blade that clashed and bogged down upon the beast. 

Those eyes of the beast’s glinted as sparks flew between their weapons. 

He could see the narrowing of that gaze, the footwork as he parried around the man’s swings. To attack in such a manner with his own weapon was suicidal. The grip of his weapon was too great. 

Caster had no doubt that it would be pulled from his hands and used against him. 

So he locked his hand upon the center of the back of the blade and hammered on, sending sparks dancing between them as he kept close and quick. Clang after clang, their feet shooing away those that would interfere. They blocked the spells and weapons thrown their direction with the gates, their eyes remaining on sight. 

They circled one another, unwilling to distance themselves. 

“Your weapon,” Berserker murmured. 

He knew what the beast was thinking. He was thinking the same. 

Both of them were using divine weapons, unbreakable weapons. Like two stone clanging together, attempting to outdo one another and leaving fire in their wake. 

Where the hell was Archer?! 

Caster lunged again, slamming his weapon down harder. His mouth wordlessly mimicked the incantations, pushing to strengthen his blade to a hair’s width more power. He could feel the other’s feet setting in. He could see the sweat beading upon the beast’s face. 

A sword slammed into his heel. 

“OI!” 

A lance flew across his vision as Caster felt himself sink to his knees. The blow that would have killed him was diverted, the blue suited lancer coming into view as Berserker leaped back. 

“Fight me,” Cu Chulainn demanded, rushing after him. 

“I see no need to fight with a mutt,” Berserker replied, his eyes flickering to the rest of them. Around them, the soldiers were pulling back, several of them wounded. Several of them were no longer moving. 

Even as he looked, the others were circling. The battles could no longer be one on one. They would have victory now. 

The bastard continued his retreat. 

“OI! OI!” Cu called out after him, lunging forward only to be able to barely dodge the swords that came forth from the gates. He rolled across the dirt, landing against one of the buildings as the soldiers and Berserker fell back. 

As he watched, he could see the beast commanding the troops, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, until he was out of sight. Even as the servants around them pursued, he knew the truth. 

There was no denying it. 

The Berserker would get away. 

“Berserker,” Caster hissed. 

He tried to move, tried to pursue, but his leg gave in. He winced as his vision swam. 

“Don’t move.” 

That cold, familiar voice was a balm to his very soul. 

“Nightingale, heal me quickly!” He looked up at the woman only to find her shaking her head. 

“It does not work that way, Caster. Please remain still.” Bandages appeared in her hands. Whether by divine summons or simply magic, he’d never know. She scowled at him. “Caster-“

“BERSERKER!” He roared after the beast, but the beast was gone. 

He had failed to kill him. 

What’s more, he’d almost been killed. 

He was pushed onto his back without much resistance. 

The world had gone to silence. The Chaldeans moving into view now with the bodies of the slain. Gilgamesh could see Gudako coming forth, walking amongst the dead and barking orders to the servants. Her face was set in a firm frown, her eyes drifting to him as Nightingale worked on patching up his ankle. 

“Where’s Archer?” 

“Probably with Enkidu,” he replied. 

Knowing his other self, the man was working alongside Enkidu to slaughter opposition. He’d probably taken down a good portion of the bodies they would need to bury, complaining all the while to Enkidu about how he wasn’t around. 

Caster snorted a bit. 

Well, he’d just faced down Berserker alone. If that didn’t say something to his strength…

His eyes fell to the man entering the area, his eyes looking over the bodies in what could only be…

“You left?!” Caster tried to stand up, but the nurse shoved him down, sitting on his waist to keep him in place. He gasped at the fluids that the woman was pouring over his wounds, slamming his fist against the earth. 

“Where are the rest of the bodies?” Archer called to them, approaching slowly. 

“They’re walking back to Uruk, no doubt to prepare for another attack- Where. Were. You?” He punctuated the words, glaring at the man. 

Archer wrinkled his nose at the mess, eyeing his ankle in disappointment. “I went to Uruk, as you did.” 

He’d- was he kidding? 

“You stupid bastard,” Caster growled. “Do you know how close we came to losing this battle? Do you know how many of our own people are gone? You went to Uruk. Why? I was going to make a plan with Hakuno and I was the one who needed to speak to her! She is going to-“

“She was falling into acquiescence when I found her,” Archer snarled back. “You open your mouth and you do not speak. You command like she belongs to you. I, alone, know my Hakuno. I, alone, understand what she is thinking. Your plan was going to fail because the two of you think too much alike. You do not think clearly. You avoid argument with one another based upon your instincts because you think with only that empty mind of yours!” 

He moved to attack the bastard, but the damn nurse had him pinned. He winced at the blade pressed close to his manhood. 

“I said do not move,” she murmured. Those cold eyes drifted to Archer. “Do not provoke him.” 

Archer snorted, kneeling down just out of arms reach. 

Those eyes gleamed. “Much like ourselves, the bastard has a weakness for our mongrel.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You heard me,” Archer told him. “He dotes upon her. Queen of Uruk and divine as well. He longs to procreate with her. I do not understand his reasoning why, but he has given us leverage.” 

“Leverage?” 

The thought of having a child with Hakuno had crossed his mind. Many times. 

The woman had a talent for handling the documents in Siduri’s absence. She listened to the people with far more patience than he held at times and she loved the people. And the lions, he’d also noted. She spoiled the oversized cats whenever she happened upon them, cooing and feeding them meat scraps whenever she could. 

It was among the times he had found her with the cubs and the children of Uruk that his mind had flickered to what she would be like with her own. 

Their own. 

But leverage? 

“The berserker won’t risk his own child,” Archer pointed out. “We do a frontal assault, heading straight for the palace and taking Hakuno. He’ll surrender.” 

“He’d harm-“

“Not when she is pregnant,” the man countered. 

“You wish for Hakuno to attempt to lie? Do you think it so easy as to making her claim that there will be a child coming? He will learn the truth and slaughter every-“

No. 

His mind stopped at the smirk on the other’s face. 

Archer wouldn’t have been so stupid. 

There were a lot of things that the man was: arrogant, spiteful, petty. He complained of the sun shining and the hour’s ticking by. He found darkness in light and complaint in gifts. He hogged the bed and hoarded their master whenever he could, leaving him pissed and agitated with the man’s antics at every turn. 

Oh, but Archer pissed him off. 

But the man wouldn’t have been this stupid… 

“You are having a child with Hakuno?” 

“He is,” a voice confirmed. “She carries the life within her now, although there will be a few months before they are in the world.” 

“Enlil.” Caster looked over at the god, spitting at the ground. 

God of so-called fate. 

“It has been a while, Caster,” the man moved forward, looking around at Archer’s side. “It would seem that you were successful in stopping the slaughtering of my city’s people. For that, I thank you. Hakuno’s command to attack the city was of the mindset of protecting you both, I’m sure. Sad how concern can bring forth the very downfall that one seeks to prevent.” 

“I do not trust you,” Caster told him, feeling the nurse finishing up. 

“And I don’t particularly appreciate kings visiting my country and using my people as cannon fodder, but Archer and I are of an accord. 

“There is nothing of ours that is for you,” he spat. “Archer, do not make deals with-“

“Stop, Caster.” Archer stood up. “Enough of your attempts at leading. A man who would surrender his lands so easily should not think to lead. It’s as the god says, we have already come to an agreement.” The man looked over at Enlil. “Speak to your kingship and bring me my army. I do not sit well with knowing I have left my woman and unborn child waiting in my palace for a madman.” 

“We should speak to them together,” Enlil told him. “To ensure that they know my feelings on this matter.” 

“Fine.” 

“Archer, you damned idiot-“

He gasped at the feeling of pressure on his foot. Nightingale growled at him, but he aimed a gate her way, stopping her. 

His foot pressed a bit harder. 

“Do not think to stop me,” Archer told him softly. “You hurt what is mine with your idiotic drivel. We may share face and I may grant you certain… licenses to her body and mind, but do not mistake things. Hakuno is mine. Her body is mine. Every single thought that flows in that mind of hers, is mine. Divine or not, she is mine. I will not sit back and listen to someone breed the thought of removal of divinity into her head.” 

“A-Ar-cher-“

He was pushing down on the wound too much. Caster could feel his senses swimming. His mind was blurring up at the pain. 

Archer tilted his head a bit, “Do you know what happens to a divine person when you attempt to remove divinity from them?” 

Death. 

But the herb of immortality-

“There is no escaping death when fate itself is ripped from the body,” Enlil pointed out. “Not even the gods themselves can be safe from such actions. There are reasons we are orderly… to the extent that we are ordered.” 

Archer nodded at that. “The berserker wants to plan and fight, I say we show him exactly the risks of war. I want my woman back at my side. Divine or not.” 

The pressure on his wound was gone. The gates vanishing as Archer pulled back. 

Caster could feel his eyes brimmed with nonsense as he found the nurse returning to him. The pain was less, yes, but it still wounded him. His eyes met Archer’s. 

“We are doing things at my discretion now. No more playing the good guest to Nippur. No more bastardizing ourselves in their adornments. No more waiting or diplomacy. Enlil is getting us our army. The Chaldeans are here. We will perform a full assault on Uruk. We will take the palace and hold Hakuno at ransom. The bastard will surrender if his child is at stake.” 

“It’s… it’s your child though,” Caster pointed out. 

“He doesn’t know that. And Hakuno treats all of us as one entity,” Archer replied. Those eyes of his gleamed. “The bastard will think he was successful when he returns to Uruk. He won’t give up his heir.” 

There were so many things that could go wrong. A woman pregnant was in a precarious position. One wrong fall, one slip of the blade, or overwhelming depressive thought and they’d risk losing the child. Hakuno would be in a more vulnerable position now. She would need the support of maids and the temples. She would need attention and adoration, the compliance of the gods not to smite the poor offspring when they were born. 

Hakuno would worry and dwell upon their child and there would be no one of compassion to be at her side for this. Anyone who could have helped was dead or in Nippur. 

The man had not thought of that though. 

He had seen his treasure in a new light and had sought an even greater treasure. 

He had seen an opportunity to use something to his advantage, playing to the humanity of the inhuman, and had taken it. 

A bastard to the very marrow of his bones, Archer was. 

Caster agreed to the plan. 


	16. The Thief from Ur

The fires could be seen in the direction of Nippur for weeks.

Berserker had returned, but he had merely come back for the mages in the city. She had felt them beginning to summon servants. She could hear the murmurs of servants within the city walls. With them, Berserker had vanished into nothingness again. 

But they could all feel the tensions of war. They could feel the mana being used every hour of every day. The skies illuminated with fire and smoke, blocking out the stars in the direction of Nippur. She could only lean against the pillars at night, cuddled against the lions and lionesses. 

And her belly began to grow. 

The mornings grew long, her stomach churning as she leaned over a pot and allowed her sickness to consume her. The afternoons were filled with the people visiting, the guards of the palace stepping in to update her on certain aspects of the city. She began to have some of the temple priests assist the guards by mixing the building materials and providing nourishment to them. 

In the evenings, she lit fires for the soldiers of Uruk who were away. On the final night of the week, she went to homes, talking to the wives and children and nodding at their worries and concerns. Their attitudes had been gruff at first, but one of the elders had noted her hands on her belly. 

The elder’s murmurings had gained her sympathy. The people of Uruk welcomed her child as a change from this warfare and violence. 

And she welcomed it. 

If it brought the people rest, then it was fine. She preached her unborn child’s compassion and how she would be raising her son to seek peace. An end to the long war being fought in Nippur. An end to banning the gods from the city. 

The temple of Ninsun’s priestess came to bless the child. 

The temple of Ereshkigal’s priest bestowed talismans to ward off evil from the palace. 

Her belly grew and Hakuno found herself relying on the lions more to move around. Their constant neediness and willingness to be leaned against when her feet hurt was a comfort. 

“Your majesty,” one of the guards greeted as she sat on the top stair of the ziggurat. “You should not be out in the evenings this close to the stairs. Our prince needs to be inside.” 

Hakuno looked back at the man, patting the lionesses to silence around her. “It’s alright. I won’t be long. I just wanted a moment to wish for the war to end.” 

The young guard bit their lip at that, nodding after a moment’s hesitation. “Our king is a fool to leave you like this. The man should have come to you when he returned months ago. You need to be lying in bed, not-“

“I am capable of seeing to the city,” Hakuno replied, smiling softly. She pat the lioness growling against her belly a bit more, easing the sweet kitten to silence. “Nippur would have attacked us. We would have come under fire and violence if we had not fought back.” 

“Then we shouldn’t have started this war in the first place! We had peace before…” The boy’s fists clenched, she noted, watching him hold back his thoughts. 

“We had peace before Gilgamesh expelled the Nippur and Ur citizens from the city,” she stated for him. “We did. There was a great peace before that, but we were losing land. Slowly, but we were losing it. Each rain season, we found a little more of the outskirts of the land taken by Ur or Nippur citizens. Crops vanished. Bandits were appearing here and there.” 

“But war-“

“It’s not my choice either,” Hakuno told him, motioning the boy to sit. “I don’t like it. I want my king as he was before back. I miss him.” 

She felt the guard settle near her on the stair, propping his lance against his shoulder. 

“Do you know,” Hakuno told him, “I never wanted to be queen of Uruk. I never thought about it. I simply found myself one day following after the king. I grew comfortable here in Uruk and… here I am.” 

One of the lionesses sneezed, making her laugh a little at the dumbfounded look at the beast’s face. Such a simple thing, making the great cat react so strongly. Hakuno moved carefully to press her face to its head. 

“You spoil the king’s beasts.” 

“They are all I have right now. Them and the city.” And she was lonely. 

Gods, but she was lonely. 

The gods feared to tread upon Uruk soil, fearing to see the Berserker. The Chaldeans and other servants were nowhere to be seen. Even the people of Uruk, with their sympathies and well wishes for her son, wouldn’t come to the palace outside of the time to speak to her on public matters. Those three hours granted her the smiles of children, the relief of mothers and wives. Other than that, it was her and a stoic guard. 

And then the lions. 

“Our king is a fool,” the guard declared, glaring out at the city. 

“I love him anyway,” Hakuno replied, wrapping her arms around her sneezing lioness as the loneliness consumed her once more. 

“You could leave,” the guard told her softly. “You believe in the gods and in peace. If you left now, you could-“

“I can’t leave Uruk.” 

She wouldn’t dare try. 

Uruk needed her. The people needed hope. The palace needed someone to guide it. The lions would become neglected and depressed, lamenting their lost king. If Berserker won against the others, then he would come back to grow intolerable. He’d kill himself to kill Uruk. If the others won, Archer and Caster would become frantic, even more so with Archer knowing he had given her a child. 

There would be chaos if she left these city walls. 

And the gods could kill her for all that she had done to kill Ur’s remaining people and declare the war on Nippur. 

“Leave me,” Hakuno told the guard. 

“I am supposed to remain close if you go outside,” the guard warned her. 

She stood up slowly, climbing the last stair and heading into the palace then. The lions walked at her side, stretching their great bodies as he moved through the palace walls. 

“Archer,” she murmured, walking through the halls and trying to reach out to the servant. 

Silence met her ears. 

“Caster?” 

Nothing. 

There had been nothing for months, the words ending in nothing more than cursing from Archer. Since then, she had tried again and again, hearing nothing. She had told herself it was nothing. The two were busy. They were fighting and winning. 

But the fires and the violence in the distance continued. Her worry for them increased. 

She sighed, stopping short of the bedroom and opting for the library nearby. 

Her nest, as she had dubbed it, was waiting for her. She’d taken a collection of pillows and tossed them into a large pile, gaining a large, warm blanket from one of the guards. It was where she found herself resting at times such as this. When the loneliness had become too much for her to bear. 

Each of the lions waited until she was settled in before they began to settle themselves into place once more. Her head pressed against the leader of the pride, her face usually ending up buried in the lion’s mane when she drifted off to sleep. 

“It’s just you and me, my cub,” Hakuno told her belly. “Your father and his caster self aren’t listening still.” 

They were where the fires were. 

She could imagine it, when she closed her eyes. She could see Archer raising Ea, sending that fire and destruction into the world. She could see Caster providing support as he often did, roaring commands as though the Chaldeans were his to command. The two would work together, in the way that they only did when she forced them to work together. 

A light tap met her fingers. 

Hakuno glanced down at her belly. 

Another tap met her fingers. 

Her eyes widened, her heart quickening. 

Another tap- no, it was a kick. 

“Archer,” she breathed, trying to use as much mana as possible to reach out to the man. “Archer!” 

_”Hakuno?”_ The man sounded panicked. 

“He’s kicking!” 

_”He-You mean our child?”_ The man’s voice came in a rush, his tone different than she had heard it before. 

“Archer, he’s moving finally. I can feel him.” 

It felt so good to feel him there. Her child was looking for his father too. She could see the lions around her looking at her tiredly. 

_”I am trying to reach you, Hakuno. Hold on for me a little longer. Have you thought about names? You have not indulged too deeply while I have been away-“_

“Archer, please. You need to come here.” She couldn’t be alone for this. She needed to see Nightingale or Da Vinci soon. She wanted to have someone check on this child. A doctor of modern science. 

_”I’m working on it,”_ Archer argued. _”Our friend has summoned someone we thought had been destroyed. Gudako is panicking.”_

“Who?” 

_”Solomon.”_

He said the name like one described the apocalypse. His tone was so angry, so low. Hakuno held a hand against the kicking in her belly. Her mind reeling as she tried to think. 

“…Where are you?” 

_”Nippur. We’ve had to make the citizens and soldiers take shelter in the palace. The city’s destroyed. Goetia and Solomon have gained strength since the last time we fought them… We lost a handful of servants already.”_

Hakuno looked at the two command spells on her hand, biting her lip. 

“Could I command spell you here?” 

_”…Do you miss me that much, Hakuno?”_ His voice was softer, the smile that was no doubt on his face was easy to hear in his voice. He heard him laugh after a moment, letting out a sigh. _”Tell me about our son, Hakuno. What do the people think? Have you been caring for the lions while I’ve been away?”_

“Your lions are spoiled,” Hakuno told him simply, scratching the leader of the pride’s chin as the beast came to lay at her side. “Our people want to see our son on the throne, if only to end the war. I received the gift of clothing and toys from the temple of Ninsun.” 

More laughter. _”My mother would be the first of many to respond to that. She must be eager to see her grandchild. You could call her to you, you know. She will come to see you in my absence.”_

“If Berserker comes…” 

She wouldn’t risk her mother-in-law. Ninsun deserved to see her grandchild. 

The king sighed again though, leaning back. She heard him vanish a moment before his voice echoed in her mind again. _”Caster is excited.”_

“You told him.” 

_”I am an indulgent king, Hakuno. I allow myself to share good news when it comes to me. Caster would like to see you as well, when the opportunity allows itself. You should see him, using his axe instead of his tome. He almost fights as he should.”_

Asshole. 

“Be nice to Caster,” Hakuno ordered. 

_”He is breathing… Hold on.”_

She waited. 

Her hands went to back to the lions, listening to the loud purrs and feeling their nuzzling as she waited to hear something. Anything. 

Had war broken out again? Were they all fighting? 

Who were Solomon and Goetia? 

_”Hakuno, use a command spell to bring myself and Caster to you.”_

“Archer, I only have two spells left. I won’t have any control over any of you after that.” If she used two spells, Berserker could no longer be commanded. She’d thought about a thousand commands she could give to the beast to stop him, finding them too vague or loopholes in all of them. 

Except asking him to die. 

But he shared the name of the other servants she had. They’d all kill themselves at her command. 

_”Hakuno, Da Vinci says the grail is in the city somewhere. We won’t get another chance if our enemies get the grail. If you summon us to you, then we can take him down.” The man was being persuasive again. “Call us home to you, Hakuno.”_

“Berserker will feel the spells. He’ll come back too.” 

_”Command us back,”_ Archer told her again. 

Hakuno closed her eyes a moment before she nodded. 

“Archer, I command you to come back to me now. Caster, I command you to come back to me this instant.” 

The red command spells remaining on her hand vanished. 

She could hear something roar outside. 

It felt like a chain had been wrapped around her with her mana, drawing something in, pulling it to her. She could feel the two servants, the explosions echoing in the night outside the windows. 

But two golden haired men appeared outside, the roar of Vimana echoing in the night as they looked through the windows at her. 

“Hakuno!” 

Caster was the first into the palace, but she went past him, wrapping her arms around Archer as he climbed into the room as well. Her body pressed against his scratched and dented armor, her chin being tilted up as the man leaned down to greet her. 

“Hello, my divine goddess,” Archer murmured, smirking. “Would you care to cover the moonlight? Plunge the world into darkness for a bit for us.” 

She shut her eyes, bidding the world to listen. 

Caster made a sound, a scraping sound coming from behind her as one of the chairs was moved across the floor. 

“It would seem you’ve adopted the divinity as your own.” 

“He’s been upset for months,” Archer gleefully told her, leaning his forehead to hers. “I, on the other hand, have been excited.” His armor burst to dust, his royal robes coming into fruition. The man moved his hands to her belly, a low sound leaving his throat as the light kicking met his hands. “There is my boy… You told me he started kicking. Did it begin this evening?” 

“A moment before I tried to reach you,” she confirmed. 

She felt Caster move behind her, his arms going over her shoulders to press against her belly as well. She felt his lips next to her ear as Archer pulled back. 

“…So you allowed Archer to give you a child after all.” 

“Berserker wants a child. He thinks to have created beings grow and thrive. He can’t let go of Enkidu.” 

The two men sniffed at that. 

“What?” 

Archer shook his head. “He attacked Enkidu. Called the being false. Says there is only one being in this world and the gods can no longer do anything to stop them. We had thought he had somehow brought forth Kingu.” 

“Kingu?” Who the hell was Kingu? 

“Nevermind them,” Caster told her. “You need to be under better protection. The palace undefended is no place for you.” 

“The people are losing hope,” Hakuno told him. “I have to stay here. If we lose Uruk-“

“I cannot lose you and Uruk. I made my-“

Archer interrupted him, “Can you walk and run still?” 

Hakuno blinked. “I’ve been having my feet swell and bad morning sickness. Sometimes my cravings are unbearable. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to move around soon. I have the lions help me at this point if I need to leave a room.” 

“She can’t move much,” Caster translated. “She’s no good to join us in this.” 

“You complain so much,” Archer told him. The gates opened, a vial falling into his hands. The man handed her the bottle carefully. “For the sickness and pain. It will numb things to a point. Drink only the cap’s amount at the start of the day.” 

Hakuno sighed, hugging the bottle. 

Finally, reprieve. 

She drank a cap’s worth before handing it back to the man and watching it return to the gates. 

“That doesn’t help with running,” Caster pointed out. “If she falls or takes a hit-“

“Do you seek to interrupt my gifts to my woman as I give them, Caster? I am relieving her. You are bothering her. If you are merely going to be in our way, then you may as well sit on your corrupted throne and wait for me to finish. Right now, you are bothersome.” 

She could feel Caster pulling her away from him a little, his own gates opening before Hakuno felt a set of robes wrapped around her person. He held her by the waist, keeping his hands near her belly. 

“Arrogant fool,” Caster growled before she felt him press his lips to her neck. “We should not take you with us, Hakuno. I know that you want to come. I know that it kills you to sit back when you have fought so often with us. The enemies that stand before us have grown, much like the life you carry within you. We want to make sure your see our son into this world and gain the opportunity to see him grow up and become a king himself.” 

“I won’t let you fight alone,” Hakuno told him. 

Archer shook his head. “Let her join. I’ll carry her-“

“To threaten Berserker. You have told me this plan and you know it will not work. The man may have been blinded, but the added force he holds now under his command will not be fooled. They will know that you will not harm our child just as he will not harm our child.” 

Hakuno agreed with Caster, nodding. “He’s right.” 

“Then what do we do?” Archer growled. 

“The grail-“

“A flawed cup with a propensity for becoming corrupted. There’s a great plan,” Archer mocked. “Let’s just wish away our enemy. And then when we’re gone and our son’s gone because we’ve been wished away, what then, Caster? Hakuno merely is left to mourn?” 

“If we just-“

“I won’t hear of it,” Archer told him. “We use the grail for power.” 

“There are too many, Archer,” Caster hissed at him, holding her more tightly. “I have informed you of this. If we use the grail to rewind time-“

“And then we end up having fate take us in this direction again. This is destined. And Hakuno’s divinity is not going to go away, but our son might.” 

“Hakuno could command him to-“

Archer groaned, “We just used the last two spells to get here, mongrel-headed idiot!” 

“The plan keeps changing! You said you had a plan!” 

“I DID! I had a great plan. Then that berserker summoned the grand magician of death that was supposed to be erased from existence! He summoned Goetia as well! Another impossibility that somehow is here! I cannot counter what it took almost all of Chaldea to fight!” 

“We need to control Solomon.” 

Both men went quiet. 

“What are you talking about, Hakuno?” 

Hakuno looked up, shaking her head at them both. “You said Solomon and this Goetia are the two problems now, right?” 

Archer gave a bemused nod. 

“You are correct,” Caster murmured to her. “Allow Archer and myself to think of a solution. You should rest soon-“

“We need to find the grail and wish for Solomon and Goetia to become our servants.” 

The two men stared at her as she pulled away from them. 

“Well, Caster?” Archer smirked. “What do you think? If those two are in our pocket and Hakuno has our child, Berserker can be stopped.” 

“One grail may not be enough,” Caster argued. 

“Divinity and the grail,” Hakuno offered. 

“It may risk our son,” Caster countered. 

“War risks our son. I sit here worried about you both each and every day while explosions and fire light up the night in the direction of Nippur. I can’t watch and do nothing. If the grail is here and those two are our enemies, then let’s stop them. Please.” 

Caster sighed, pulling his turban off and running a hand through his hair. 

Archer, on the other hand, moved forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest. She could feel him laughing a little as he shook his head. 

“Surprising as ever, my master.” 

A master with no command spells. She almost wanted to snort at him. 

The man tilted her head back though, that smirk on his face as smug as ever. “I knew I had made the right decision in coming here. You will owe me for carrying you to wherever the grail is hidden.” 

“If we are successful, I’ll kiss your feet and let you name our son,” Hakuno replied. 

“Oh, a dangerous offer. I always win in the end,” Archer replied smoothly. 

“We need to leave,” Caster told them both. “If we begin the hunt now, we won’t find it. I’ll call Enkidu to find a way to get to us and the being can direct us towards the grail. They have a talent for that, after all.” Being that Enkidu was capable of granting smaller wishes if they gained enough mana, they had found in a couple singularities that Enkidu always sensed the grail, leading them to it. 

It had saved Gudako’s ass a handful of times. 

“If Berserker comes back-“

Archer pulled the necklace from her neck. He pulled robes from the gates, robes the colors of Ur out. “Caster, where would you like to meet?” 

“I shall set up a barrier near the boat houses here in Uruk.” 

“Archer? Caster?” 

Archer nodded. “Take Vimana before anyone notices it. If you sense any knowledge, you know-“

“What are your plans?” Caster asked. 

Archer looked between them as he tied the robes in place around himself, covering his Uruk regalia. “Why, I’m going to steal the Queen of Uruk, in the name of the fallen kingdom of Ur. The guards will run to tell Berserker, distracting him with news that the Queen and unborn prince of Uruk are missing, kidnapped by enemies.” 

Hakuno stared at him. 

Caster’s laugh rang in her ears as the man went for the window, he whistled to the lions, letting them climb upon Vimana before him. “I imagine an hour then?” 

“See you in an hour,” Archer replied, smirking over at him until he was gone. Those eyes flickered slowly to her. 

His smirk grew. 

“You will be required to run for a moment, Hakuno. Make it believable, for the guards. I would rather not have to kill good help.” 

Her feet were moving before her mind caught up. She flew from the room, hurrying as much as her body would let her. 

“GUARDS!” 

She could hear movement ahead of her. A great shadow loomed over her in the light of the torches. 

“GUARDS!” 

Her voice cracked. She felt her body engulfed in the robes of the Ur fabrics, a cry leaving her lips as she felt Archer’s hand on the sensitive part of her waist. It was more surprise, but the adrenaline in her veins made it louder. 

She heard the guards running for her, but Archer was quick. She felt him holding her tight, outside the robes so that they could see their queen be kidnapped. She closed her eyes to help. 

“QUEEN HAKUNO!” 

The guards were crying out to her, the sounds of weapons being fired in their direction, only to fall short and shouts to increase. 

They did not want to hit their queen. They did not want to lose her though. 

Indecision led to their aid. 

The stairs were before her eyes as they made it outside into the unending darkness. The torches did little to light the world around them. It was as though they were delving into an abyss, unable to see or be seen. 

Her body was pulled closer, their movements stopping after a few minutes. 

They could hear the guards running, the people crying out. 

“It was the Ur people!” 

“They’re alive!” 

“They have the queen!” 

“Someone must get the king!” 

Hakuno felt Archer’s smile against her neck. His lips pressed a path up to her ear. 

“Ah, the sweet queen has been kidnapped. The queen is stolen. I wonder what their little queen thinks of her title. What do you think, my little queen? Does it please you, knowing all of my people have welcomed you as their queen? As my sweet consort?” 

She shivered a little, feeling the baby kick again. 

“We need to move,” Archer told her. “Do not fall asleep before we reach the safe house, Hakuno. I wish to listen to you tell me of your thoughts about my son. I have much to tell you about my own.” 

She’d be asleep before she said a word then. Gilgamesh would lecture her about his plans for their son for hours. 


	17. Of the Divine

They remained in the boathouse for a long while, Caster putting up as many spells and wards as he could to keep others from finding the place. While he worked, Hakuno leaned against Archer, listening to the sounds of the locusts and cicadas outside. The cool breeze from the Euphrates came in from the boating area, drifting along passed the bottles that jingled and cast a collection of colors into the room.

The gentle bobbing and rippling of the waters could easily be seen as Archer busied himself with feeding her chocolates, his lips every once in a while replacing the sweets and making her squirm. 

“No,” he’d chastise. “You have been away from me, entertaining that beast too long, Hakuno. This is what you’ve earned.” 

Another sweet would be given to her though and she’d settle in. 

The lions nearby didn’t bother to try to interact, their bodies draped haphazardly across the floor of the building. From time to time, she would see a leg twitch or a nose wrinkle, the great cats completely in repose. The breeze and summer light that drifted across the skies and into the building made them feel as lethargic and content as she herself. 

One of the lions licked the mage king’s ankle as he passed too close and the man laughed quietly. 

Caster’s eyes roamed over her for a moment before he looked around once more, nodding to himself. “We shouldn’t stay for long, but a couple days will be easily passible with my work. We will need to ensure that we don’t stray often from the building. Each time we leave, it will be as though we simply appear to onlookers. It’ll weaken the fortitude of what I’ve done.” 

“Thank you.” 

The man sniffed, a smirk coming to his face. “You are thanking me for something I was going to do already. Do not waste your breath, Hakuno. How is my son?” 

Archer’s hold of her tightened a bit. 

“The baby is fine. They’ve been kicking at my stomach, but I think we’ve settled in,” Hakuno told him, reaching out a hand and taking his into her own. She pressed it lightly to her belly. “It’s still so early. I don’t really know anything about this process.” 

“Did Berserker find you a midwife?” 

Hakuno shook her head, feeling and seeing the two tense at her response. “He didn’t make it back to the palace after attacking Nippur. He came back only to steal the mages from the temples and go back into fighting.” 

Caster scowled, resting his head lightly to her for a moment. She could see those eyes drift close, the little wrinkle in his brow forming as he tried to think clearly about their next step. Or perhaps he was thinking about what they could do about the baby. She could guess Archer’s thinking far better than Caster’s at this point, the other in question merely took pleasure in keeping her close to him and nipping at her neck or shoulders when he deemed it necessary. 

Which was often, if the sudden bite to her neck was any indication. She leaned her head to the side, giving him better access and closing her eyes. 

“Archer, you’re distracted,” Caster’s voice called up towards him. 

“You are leaning against my child and telling me of my so-called folly?” 

Caster moved to sit up, his eyes locked on his other self. “I was trying to sense the child, but it is difficult. Enkidu would be far better suited to this task.” 

“We should bring Enkidu here.” Archer told him. “Shamhat no doubt has seen a birthing before. Ishtar will know the basics, if she is so apt to repay Hakuno for saving her life as she claims.” 

“…That’s not a bad plan, but it leaves Nippur without divine assistance.” 

“Ramses and the others are there… although Ramses would not be bad.” Archer leaned back a little. “I have heard he has been the cause of over a hundred children. It would be wise to have someone who is familiar with this come to stay with us as well.” 

“We’re not stealing everyone from Nippur.” 

Archer merely hummed, those hands of his working over Hakuno’s lower back. She could feel those thumbs pushing into the tension and knots, working out what she had come to accept as a constant pain in her person. The moan that came out was unintentional, but the two kings stopped. Archer’s lips pressed against her shoulder again. 

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Archer murmured. “I know a bit, from working with my lions. I know there are parts of the back that will require attention with the added weight of life on them. Don’t hold back the sounds now, Hakuno. This is interesting. Was it here that you liked so much?” His thumbs went to the spot from before. “Or perhaps you want me to follow that to here,” he moved his fingers up, along her spine to another tense part of her back. 

She shivered this time, another sound escaping her before she felt Caster tilting her head towards his own. His lips pressed against hers, deeper and more demanding than usual. A sound came from nearby, but she couldn’t think straight with the two. 

“I will call and confer with the others,” Caster told her softly. “If nothing else, we can have another servant bring Shamhat here for you. I know the woman has been worried about you since you fixed your own broken leg before her.” 

“Listen to him: Confer, he knows he will not win against me in this matter.” Archer scoffed as the other stood up, heading towards the other room with the river waters and the dock. He pulled out the communication device as he went. “He is naïve.” 

“Caster is helping.” 

Archer hummed, pulling her back against him and motioning out towards the evening. “If you look carefully, you can see the temple of Ninsun from here. Nearby, quite amusingly I think, is the temple of Nanna. Better known as your temple now.” 

“Does Ishtar know about…” She didn’t want to say it. 

“She knows. It has knocked humility into her, if you believe her.” The expression on the man’s face said that he did not. “The moon always rises over the temple of Nanna from the view in my palace, but from here, it always rises from the temple of Ninsun. I used to prefer it here.” 

“You have been here before?” 

Archer nodded. “This building was abandoned with the better ports and docks down river. An elderly couple lived here, but they’re gone. I found it interesting to come and listen to the tales of the gods when I was younger. The guards never found this place since it is hidden away behind the temples of Ereshkigal and Enlil. From the perspective of the city, this house is merely a relic, forgotten and lost.” 

“Would Berserker know how to find here?” 

If it was important to him from childhood, then it might have been still important for Berserker as well. She didn’t want the man to be able to merely come straight here upon returning to the kingdom. 

“I abandoned the place when Enkidu came,” Archer told her. “I found them to be more interesting. I was fond of it afterwards because it was in wishing to come here that I met the being.” 

“Archer.” 

“I don’t know, Hakuno.” The man shook his head at her. “I doubt it, since I have associated this place with my friend.” 

They would need to stay on top of watching the area to make sure they didn’t run into the berserker though. Whether or not it was safe, it was as Caster said. They needed to stay often and leave very little. Berserker would not take much time in order to return to Uruk, so they needed to be aware of- 

“They’re all coming here.” 

Hakuno jumped, feeling Archer hold her in place as Caster returned. 

“That was quick.” 

“Gudako wants to come here. She’s bringing her ‘dream team’ to quote her. Mash and Da Vinci will be here as well.” 

“And Shamhat?” 

Caster rolled his eyes, glancing towards the center of the room where the fire pit remained. “Enkidu overheard the news and is coming with Shamhat in tow. They are keeping to the river, since Enkidu has been informed by the gods that it was the best manner of finding us.” 

Archer scoffed, leaning back a little. “So our mother knows?” 

“Knows, has become enamored with the work she often procrastinates at completing,” Caster rolled his eyes again. “Gudako informed me that the clay being is bringing gifts with them. They were unable to maintain their form and were barely holding it together when Shamhat was speaking for them.” 

“How long ago did they leave?” Hakuno asked, looking between the two of them. “Is Berserker close?” 

“I need to go out to find out more information.” Caster told her. “We need firewood as well. Archer,” he commanded. “If Enkidu left when I was told, then they are close. If you watch the river, you can direct them.” 

“I’ll make sure they get here,” Archer dismissed. 

“And I’ll stay here, I guess?” 

Caster nodded, “Right now, you are a lure that will keep the war from raging on. As much as I dislike it, you are going to be the bait for now. We will see to it that you are safe. Us and the lions.” 

It didn’t feel right to be the only one not doing their part. Lounging had been more Archer’s area of interest, despite his efforts in the moon cell. 

Yet she found herself settled amongst the lions and the cushions that Archer brought forth, bidding Caster goodbye and watching Archer head into the room that Caster had been in. A small fire had been started in the center of the room, illuminating the walls and casting shadows as the sun set and the nighttime began. 

The sounds of the river could be heard, the gentle lapping of the waters against the land competing with the crackling of the wood before her. She could feel the lions closest to her purring away or munching on some meat that had been left in a corner for them. 

It was calm. 

How long had it been since she had been in true peace in the world? 

She didn’t have to plan, didn’t have to think. She could press her hands to her stomach and just feel for the next time her son or daughter decided to let it be known that they were coming. She could cuddle and dote on the lions, as she had done before all of this, without thinking of what mana she’d have to put into them to stop intruders or enemies. 

And she felt better. 

That was just icing on top of it all. Her back wasn’t in agony for once. Archer’s indulgent ways had gone so far into calming her pains and aches. She could move a little more, having been able to settle into place against the cushions without assistance. 

“Enkidu,” Archer’s voice greeted, the grin on his face apparent from where she was sitting. “You are as timely as ever.” 

“We tried to be quick but the moon is hidden away. I suppose that was intentional,” Shamhat’s voice chimed in. “Enkidu has been excited and worried for you to a point where their voice is cut off. Where is Hakuno?” 

“In here.” 

The door to the other room opened and Hakuno could see Shamhat’s face light up at the sight of her. “Ah, my mistress said that you were carrying, but I did not expect you to be this far!” 

Enkidu was quicker, shifting around her and all but dropping to their knees at her side. She could feel their hands as they leaned in close, their lifeless eyes closing as their forehead pressed against her. 

“A greeting is helpful, my friend,” Archer complained, although the man merely leaned against the doorway, waiting. 

It didn’t take long; the being took a long breath in before looking up at her. “There are two.” 

“Two?” Hakuno stared at them. “What are you talking about two?” 

“That is why you are this big so soon.” Enkidu pulled back, their hands still pressed against her belly lightly. “You will have two. They’re as noisy as their father too. I could feel them from the river bend down the way.” 

“You could feel them- Should we-“

Enkidu looked over at Archer, shaking their head. “I do not think that the others will be as attuned with life as me. I could sense their soul because it is like Hakuno. I do not think the others will be able to follow suit. Still.” The being turned their face back to her. “They are hungry.” 

“I had something earlier.” 

“It is not enough. You need to eat a lot more.” Enkidu nodded at their own words. “It will be important. There’s a lot of mana between them.” 

“We’ll need to find something for them then,” Archer pointed out. “Gudako is bringing her buster team with her to Uruk. The others pulled from Nippur.” 

Enkidu nodded. “The battle will come to Uruk then.” 

Hakuno watched the being’s eyes lock on their hands, feeling the slight kick. 

“They’ve been kicking all day,” Hakuno told them. 

“It’s the boy.” Enkidu murmured. The being leaned in, grinning a little at the feeling of the baby kicking. “He’s so eager to fight. I can feel him already preparing to be as adventurous as his father.” 

Archer was preening at the being’s words. “Twin sons then?” 

“You have a boy and girl, although the girl is so weak right now.” Enkidu looked up at Hakuno. “You need to eat more, Hakuno. Your girl will not survive at this rate. She needs you to be caring for yourself.” 

“Is she dying?” 

Enkidu wrinkled their nose. “It’s not that. Your son is gaining a lot of the nourishment that you are giving them. She is behind him and is suffering from the way your body has probably been.” 

She had been crouched at times, stressed and wanting to curl up under some of the smaller blankets in the palace. She’d been wandering throughout the city often, bending to throw a ball to the children or pick up things for the wives of the city. 

“We will correct this. It’s no matter,” Shamhat told her. She hushed the being, motioning them away. “Enkidu, you and the king should bring some things for our company and Hakuno. I am sure that the others will be hungry as well.” 

“Cu Berserker will eat through the collection, if Merlin and Waver do not.” Enkidu looked towards the king. “And you said it was her end all team?” 

“She’s bringing Cuserker, Merlin, Waver, Ozymandias, Raikou, and has King Hassan with her,” Archer confirmed. 

“And where’s Caster?” 

“He went to investigate the city. He is no doubt trying to feel if Berserker has made it home.” 

Enkidu nodded. Their eyes drifted back to her before returning to Archer. “There is another matter we should discuss, my friend. I don’t believe we will find a better time.” 

“Is there something else wrong with the babies besides the malnourishment with the girl?” 

Hakuno stared over at them, watching them shake their head. “It is not that, but they are taking after the divine aspects of you both. They’ll be born as goddesses and gods are often born.” 

“What do you mean, Enkidu?” Hakuno looked over at them. “What does that mean, as goddesses and gods are often born?” 

Gilgamesh waved her off, those eyes going warningly to Enkidu. Which wasn’t a good sign. Enkidu wouldn’t tell her now. 

So she turned her attention to Shamhat. “What does it mean, Shamhat?” 

Shamhat bit her lip, avoiding the king’s and her lover’s gaze as she took a deep breath. “Gods and goddesses are born from the union of two great beings coming together. Depending on how they are born or aspects just after they are born, they are assigned a great task for their lives. Gilgamesh’s mother was given that of being the goddess of the cattle and steer. She sees to the farmers and the people’s great harvests in her own manner. Gilgamesh, as her son, was born of only half divine status. Ninsun escaped the cycle with him, giving him the choice of being human or something more.” 

“Shamhat,” Archer warned. 

“Your babies will be born of two divine beings, however much humanity is in you both. They will come out and be as the gods are. Divine, an inspiration to millions of people. Their names will be engraved upon temples.” 

“They don’t need that,” Hakuno told her. 

“It is not up to us,” Shamhat attempted to tell her, shaking her head. “It is what they are meant to do.” 

Gilgamesh glared at Enkidu. “…The god deceived me.” 

“God? What are you talking about, Gil?” 

Archer nudged at Enkidu. “We need to find Enlil before this goes any further.” 

“What did you do, Archer?” 

“I will handle this,” Archer told her. “Feed our children.” 

“Archer!” 

She shouted a bit louder than necessary, the sound waking up the lions and making Shamhat wince. But the king stopped walking, his fists clenching as he glared over at her. 

“I had assumed they would come out human.” 

“They’ll be divine, so-“

“I made the agreement with Enlil to name the child with the name Ur.” 

Hakuno stared at him, a chill entering her system as she looked at the foul tempered king. “…They want to replace-“

“He thinks to have our child replace Nanna. They’d take the child when this is over and keep them with the other gods.” 

“They can’t…” They were the gods. Of course they could do a great deal of things. Enkidu’s death was a good indicator that they could do just about anything they set their minds to. But it didn’t make sense. “They gave me Nanna’s power. I am making the moon hide away in the skies while this is happening.” 

“Indicators,” Gilgamesh spat. “Your power will pass along and be shared with whichever one becomes the next god or goddess of the moon.” 

“We’re going to talk to Enlil then?” Enkidu moved over to the king’s side. 

“I’m going to kill him.” 

“We’ll all go.” 

“Hakuno-“

She was already getting to her feet, leaning against Shamhat as she looked at the two friends near the door. “I don’t like it either, Gil, but I trusted Enlil as well. He has been helping me and I don’t like not being told something important like this. I want to hear him say it to my face.” 

A couple of the lions stood up slowly, rubbing against her legs as Gilgamesh shook his head. 

“I don’t want you there.” 

“Then I guess you and Enlil will have something in common: you both aren’t getting what you want.” She moved forward, letting Shamhat shadow her every step before she felt Archer pick her up. Her body was cradled against his chest as he nodded to Enkidu. 

“We’re making this quick. Hakuno still needs to eat.” 

“Right,” Enkidu replied. 

Hakuno just waited, her hand dangling close to where the lions were. 

She’d feed the deceptive god to the lions if he was indeed thinking of doing what Gilgamesh feared he had planned. 

It was not up to the gods what would happen with her and the babies. 


	18. Pearls and Tears

“Hakuno, you stay behind me the entire time. I want to feel you pressed up against my back the entire time we speak to him,” Gilgamesh told her again, as though this time was going to make the difference.

“I already told you, I’ll stand next to you, but I’m not going to cower behind you and wait for the god to make up his mind about what he’s made you promise. What did he even offer you that you’d accept that?” 

“He gave us Nippur’s army to decimate,” Enkidu supplied, looking up at their king. “I sense the others not far from us. Whatever we do, we need to be quick about it. If Berserker has any extenuating talents for sensing mana or Hakuno-“

“I don’t like this.” Gilgamesh agreed, glancing at her. “You should not be risked right now, Hakuno.” 

“I told you-“

“And I am telling you that it is easier for Enkidu and I to get away from Berserker than it is for you. He has not hesitated to attack you in the past.” 

“He won’t-“

“He will if he does not believe they are from him.” 

Hakuno stared up at the king, accepting his help with the steps towards the entrance to the temple. “Why would he not believe they’re his?” 

“Because how would we have known about the babies and not done something. You do know that we do not claim any association with Berserker. He’s not us, as far as Caster and I are concerned.” Gilgamesh wrinkled his nose, “An offspring from the beast would need to be destroyed.” 

“And thus we are concerned for the babies,” Enkidu pointed out. 

“Gula. Ninsumun.” Archer whistled to both the cats, snapping towards the doors to the temple. The two hurried forth, entering ahead of them as the doors opened. Hakuno could feel Gilgamesh wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her along with him. 

Enkidu followed close behind, pulling their cloak’s hood up over their head. 

Once the doors were closed, the torches were lit. One by one, the room was illuminated, the greens and ivories of the place were illuminated, pearls making up the draped décor along the god’s place to sit. 

And as if on cue, the form of an elder man formed on the seat. His fatigued face looking in their direction. 

It was far different from the young soldier that she had interacted with in the palace. She didn’t really believe it until Gilgamesh scoffed. “No vessel then, Enlil?” 

“Young king, you return with your bride in hand,” the old man called forth towards him. “And you bring the toy from the gods meant to entertain you.” The man’s eyes shifted to Enkidu. “I am well aware of the dangers you present, creation of Enki. You will be best near the doors.” 

“It is amusing to hear you speak of dangers, all things considered.” 

Those eyes flickered back to Gil. His head tilting slightly. “All things considered? Do you mean your doppelganger who so valiantly brought back the great evil that the Chaldeans fought to destroy, the doppelganger himself who so eagerly slaughters our fellow gods and goddesses, proclaiming an age where the creations of gods rule rather than the gods themselves, or would you be referring to the woman you hold so dearly in your arms who so eagerly embraced the madness and sins of the beast, going so far as to declare the deaths of Nippur citizens after slaughtering the last of the Ur citizens using your cats and her bare hands.” 

Hakuno flinched. 

It hadn’t necessarily been quite like that. Extenuating circumstances had been at play in her case and Berserker was just- 

He was lost, although she doubted anyone would believe that. 

“You are well aware of the ramifications of ruling, being the ruler of fate and destiny. You knew Hakuno would have the choice to make and-“

“And I watched, as someone of sensibility must do. I have told you this before, boy. The gods cannot interfere as much as one may like. We cannot interfere with the decisions of the divine. We cannot even choose our own ends, since destiny and fate is too tempting for any one man to control.” 

“This isn’t about Enkidu.” 

“It is not.” The elder shifted his robes, scratching at the wrinkles upon their face and adjusting their posture. “You’ve come to speak to me about the twins. Wildly impressive, I must say, Gilgamesh. The first attempt you make and you sew the seeds of two lives within your woman.” 

“I will not name them after the useless goddess’ father.” 

“Ah, but you have already agreed, King Gilgamesh. Ur is one of them. You may choose, since there are two. I merely asked for a child to be named after the city. If you feel so strongly, Suen, Sin, or Nanna will also do. It will most likely be the boy who bears the name, but the girl should suffice for remaining with you… should she survive. Her risks right now of dying are high right now. I have seen her loss.” 

“How dare you-“

“You are well aware of the ramifications of ruling, being the ruler of Uruk and the control for dealing with the goddess Ninsun, Gilgamesh. You knew there would be a catch to this choice and you decided-“

“You did not make it clear!” 

“I DO NOT NEED TO MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!” The man roared the words, letting them echo in the chamber. The lions growled at him, keeping close. Enlil stood up, motioning around. “You do not explain your reasoning when you are king, Gilgamesh. You do not expect the storms to explain their destruction nor the winds to explain their reasoning for which way they blow. You do not expect the sun to explain why it rises nor the moon to explain why it hides. I, dear king, do not need to explain the thoughts behind my words to you nor to anyone. I. Am. Fate. I am the keeper of time and its teachings. I sit upon this throne and I carry my crown with a heart made of stone.” 

The man held his hand to his chest as he spoke. 

“I am not your mother, boy, nor do I answer to her. Always, always, I find myself explaining this to you. You, with your arrogance and your wealth. There are things that your wealth does not bring you, boy, and you shall never fully understand them. You will falter. You will make mistakes. You will agree to things because it is your fate to agree to things.” 

“I will not name either of my children after the useless moon god’s city or the departed god who had been their patron.” 

“It is not your-“

“It is my choice. It is my woman. It is my efforts that have brought the child forth. You, useless god, can enjoy the company of Berserker when he comes for you. I have a feeling he has a special bone to pick with you.” Gilgamesh smirked darkly at him. “I only wish I could do the deed myself, after what little you have done for me.” 

“There must always be someone to fill this chair. If you choose to falter, if you choose to let what you have said come to pass, it will not matter. A name can be changed, isn’t that right, Son of Gula.” 

Gilgamesh hesitated, his eyes focused on the god. “Don’t threaten my family.” 

“One child, boy. The gods demand one. You may keep the other.” 

“I am keeping both of them,” Hakuno told him. 

The god glanced over at her. “Then you are asking to join the ranks of the gods. No more adventures. No more kingdoms and decrees. What you ask is to be attached to the hip with your temple and left to await your king’s visits, as Ninsun did with her king.” 

“You will not take my-“

“You speak when I am speaking, King!” Enlil’s voice was louder now, filling the room again. “It is not your decision to make!” 

Hakuno felt the king’s arms wrap around her tightly, the man glaring up at Enlil. 

“Enkidu said they are both divine,” Hakuno pointed out. “What guarantee do I have that you won’t just take both of them?” 

“They will remain with you for a time. They’re too young, they need their mother. It is only after they are weened that we will begin their training. The realm of the gods is quite filled with spoils.” 

“Then why does Ereshkigal seem lonely.” 

Enlil’s eye twitched. “…She is of a different class. A goddess with her own realm.” 

That didn’t answer the question. If anything, it made her more reluctant to name her child after the city and its patron god. Hakuno frowned more. “You said you saw my girl die.” 

“You are overworked, stressed, put in a position where you are overexerting yourself for the purposes of the people. Your decisions have the girl’s life on a precipice. She may not survive, unless circumstances change.” 

That wasn’t acceptable. 

Hakuno took a moment, thinking carefully. The god was being unreasonable. 

“Did Gilgamesh get to keep the army he sought?” Hakuno asked. 

“No, but we did not specify the terms of that length he would control the army.” 

“And you didn’t say anything about my children being taken as gods for the Sumerians either,” Hakuno pointed out. 

“It is a pointless gesture,” Enlil warned her. “Do not tempt fate, to quote your people.” 

“Hakuno is correct. I merely agreed to a name, but the name merely needs to be in their name. We are keeping both of them,” Gilgamesh agreed, smirking. 

“Names have meaning.” 

“If we choose to let them,” Hakuno argued. 

“Mortal-“

“You are speaking to the goddess of the moon, or have you not bothered to notice that the skies above are blackened at this time,” Gilgamesh countered. 

Enlil glared at the man a moment before chuckling. The sound echoed again, leaving them both to stand and wait. Enkidu was settling near the doors, a hand pressed against the wall as Hakuno glanced over to them. 

“I have admired the determination of your woman, Gilgamesh. She would have been an unparalleled choice, had she been born within your life. So many things would have been different. Such an important element of fate could have been avoided, diminishing the great Epic of Gilgamesh.” 

“What are you getting at, Enlil.” 

“Merely admiring your treasures, my king,” the man replied. The old man’s gaze went to the doors, smile fading from his lips. “They approach the city limits. It will not take long for the beast to become enraged at his loss once more. You must all leave. As shall I.” 

“So we’re in agreement not to have my children taken,” Hakuno pushed. 

“I have no time for this, queen of Uruk.” 

“I do. They stay with me and I’m staying with Gilgamesh.” 

“Be reasonable,” Enlil complained. 

“I am. I will stand here and wait until the man comes bursting through those doors to kill you. You said that you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone, but that’s fine. Gilserker doesn’t want explanations. He only wants to be rid of you all sitting there and stealing everything away. You took too much and he’s rabid now! You all did this to him!” 

“Little moon goddess-“

Hakuno took a step forward, letting the lions growl towards the old man. She could feel Gilgamesh holding onto her. 

“I won’t lose them,” she told the god. 

“There is no time for this, little one.” 

“Any. Of. Them.” 

The god sat down, staring at her. The energy, the magnificent power that had thrummed through his veins, all of it left. It fell from his body, leaving nothing more than a great fatigue. 

“…You ask the impossible.” 

“I’ve gone after far worse,” Hakuno replied. 

“…There is no end in my eyes, little one. None like that.” 

“I’ve never been a fan of fate anyway.” 

“Hakuno, do not do this.” Enlil shook his head. “It will not work. You will die before that happens. There is death possible, even for those who have partaken in the herb of immortality. The king will mourn. The city will burn and smolder for days. You will deprive the very children you fight so hard to keep of a moment to be with you!” 

“We need to leave,” Gilgamesh murmured, seeing Enkidu motioning for them to hurry. 

“HAKUNO!” 

“You know, Enlil,” Gilgamesh smirked at him. “If your power is so strong, then tell me how to kill Berserker. I would be more than happy to assist in the end of his so-called fate.” 

Hakuno took the king’s hand, whistling for the two lions as they made their exit. The sound of marching in the distance could be heard. 

“They are back,” Enkidu murmured. “Quickly!” 

Gilgamesh hoisted her up, their movements quick as the temple doors closed. They rushed through the alleys, back to the empty space…

No, the boathouse appeared as they drew close, Enkidu holding the door open as Caster and Shamhat looked up. 

“Archer,” Caster hissed. 

“No time.” Archer handed her over to the servant, closing the door behind Enkidu and the two lions and watching from the window crack. “Are you sure about your magic, Caster?” 

“Am I sure… of course. I am not some second-rate magician, Archer. I am a grand caster-“

“Berserker returned,” Hakuno murmured. 

Caster took a deep breath, eyes wider as he glanced at the door. “…Shamhat, grab the bag I brought and toss some of the herbs from the green box into the fire. We need to cover up any chance they could sense us.” 

“You’re concerned about Solomon?” 

“The man was capable of concealing his presence within the walls of the very building where he began all of the dangers to humanity. He hid amongst the very people hunting for him. I have no doubt of his capabilities under the reign of that bastard.” 

Hakuno leaned into Caster’s chest, trying to calm herself. No stress. No malnourishment. She had to work harder at working less. She needed to rely on those in this room. There was also Gudako and the others. They would help. 

“Where did you go?” Caster demanded. 

“The temple of Enlil,” Archer replied quietly, moving from the window. He settled near the fire, looking around a moment before he caught sight of the other preparations Caster had brought. The man began setting up the cooking supplies. 

“Why?” 

“The god of fate should be on our side,” Archer countered. 

Caster looked down at her for answers, no doubt failing to believe such drivel. 

Hakuno closed her eyes, leaning against him more. “…I knew you needed an army,” she lied. “So I told Enlil that I would name the child after Ur.” 

Caster sucked in a breath. 

“Hakuno that would mean-“

“We’re aware,” Archer growled. “Leave her be. Our daughter is weak as she is.” 

The mage king stared over at his other self, pausing. “…We are having a girl?” 

“Twins,” Archer pointed out, “but the girl’s weak. She’s been being malnourished because Hakuno’s been being pushed beyond reason.” 

“Twins,” the man murmured. He looked down at her, leaning in to kiss her softly. “I get to have two tiny versions of you with me then?” 

“A boy and a girl,” Hakuno corrected. 

“But Hakuno needs to eat, rest, and stop thinking about this,” Archer reminded the man. “We need to keep her in one location as much as possible.” 

“Should we send her back to Chaldea?” 

Archer shook his head. “I have no doubt that our imposter would rush after her. Solomon and Goetia may sense her there. She’s best with us.” 

Caster’s arms held her a little tighter, a nod coming from him before he sighed. Hakuno could feel him lean in close and kiss her temple. 

Shamhat moved to help Archer, the woman taking the cooking items away and slowing beginning to construct the rigging for cooking meat. With a wave of dismissal towards the king, Archer found himself focusing on getting the food the mage king had brought prepped, listening to Shamhat’s murmured offerings towards instruction on the process. 

“It was a foolish move to make,” Caster murmured to her. “Agreeing to something with the gods is never a good idea, Hakuno. Archer and I both know this very well. You are tempting a beast more dangerous than Berserker himself. Allow your kings to handle things from here. What is important now is for you to remain well.” He wrapped a blanket around her, as though the room was not already warm enough. 

“Gil,” Hakuno looked up at him. 

“Protect what is ours, Hakuno. It is something I cannot do, even as your king. You hold the very fabric of our new world within your hands.” 

She really loved Caster sometimes. 

The lions were moving closer to one another as the night breeze came in from the room over. She could hear the sound of the fire crackling as she simply took in Caster’s actions. 

She simply allowed herself to sink into the king’s arms. She nodded to his request, but felt no need for words. Rather, she took in the moment with him, feeling him press his lips to her forehead, her cheeks, her lips; anywhere he could without bothering her greatly. The man simply murmured softly to her, murmuring simple things. 

Such simple things. 

He murmured of small brunette children, running around his ankles. He murmured of teaching their son to wrestle and their daughter how to break the hearts of men. 

“We’re not teaching our daughter that.” 

Caster smirked at her, leaning over her face. “I shall teach her then, because you are too easily swayed. You love too deeply and our daughter no doubt will suffer the same. She will fall for whomever she decides has an appealing physique.” 

“Our daughter will probably be as picky as you,” Hakuno countered. 

“They should not take after me at all. I do not want that.” 

Hakuno smirked at him. “They’re going to be two blonds and you’re going to listen to them chase after the lions and try going off on adventures all the time.” 

“Hakuno, cursing our children before they are born is unwise and unhealthy. You should be resting.” 

“I am resting. I am also thinking about how cute a tiny you and tiny girl version of you would be,” Hakuno argued. “I know for a fact they’ll end up with your eyes.” 

“You are being stubborn and-“

Archer pushed the man away, pulling her slowly upright. The conversation came to a standstill as Enkidu went away from the doorway. The being climbed over the beasts resting in groups, patting a raised head here and there as they went. 

Gula in particular let out a wide yawn as the great cat received one of those head pats. 

“Nothing?” Archer asked. 

“The berserker has entered the palace after surveying the city,” Enkidu told him. “I cannot sense the other two, but we know that he was keeping them close to himself. 

“He misses you,” Hakuno told the being. 

“No, Hakuno.” Enkidu moved to settle in next to Shamhat. “The Berserker does not miss me. He has seen me, fought with me. I tried to reach out to him, but he denied me. Claimed I was nothing more than the shell of what he had once known. If the kings had not told me you were alive, I would have thought he had denied you too.” 

But he had mentioned Enkidu. He’d claimed mourning for the being. How could he deny what was in front of his own face? 

“You need to eat,” Archer told her, setting a large portion of food onto a plate and handing it her way. “Before the Chaldeans get here. After you’re done, we’ll have you rest.” 

“I want to talk to Gudako-“

“You will,” Caster promised her. “She is bringing a team that has parents amongst the servants as well. They should be able to help soothe any concerns you have on the matter of being a parent.” 

“I want to be involved in the conversation about fighting Solomon and Gilserker too.” 

“No.” Both Gilgamesh replied in unison at that. 

“The beast is for us to fight,” Caster told her. He leaned his head closer to her ear, “Do not make me beg, Hakuno. I am a proud person. Protect what you have first. When our daughter is not at risk of dying from malnourishment, I will entertain such requests.” 

Entertain did not mean agree. 

Her gaze flickered to Archer nearby. 

“You owe me,” she told him. 

The man raised a brow at her, finishing the bite of food he had been eating before he nodded. “You may listen to decisions only. The overall conversation is not for you. Stress will hurt what is ours, Hakuno.” 

“Archer-“

“Deal,” Hakuno told the man, ignoring Caster’s attempt to interfere. 

Enkidu pushed more food onto her plate and grinned. “Now that you have finished fighting and I don’t need to watch the door as closely, we can finally catch up, Hakuno.” 

She nodded in agreement, relaxing further with the sound of the being talking about Nippur. 


	19. Solomon

There room was silent as she awakened. The fire was still crackling, Caster fast asleep as Archer leaned against the door. The two men were out.

Enkidu was resting in Shamhat’s arms, their arms wrapped tightly around her as they slumbered. 

Everyone was asleep…

Why was everyone asleep? 

“Hakuno.” 

She felt her stomach churn, her eyes drifting over her shoulder to the voice behind her. She could feel a pair of arms wrap around her waist, a mess of blond hair fell over her shoulder, the scales on his neck reflecting the light of the fire. 

“My Moon Cell woman, where have you gone?” His voice was so soft, his tone so gentle. “Why have you allowed yourself to be taken from me? Have they threatened you? Have they threatened what is ours?” 

“How did you get here?” 

“I am not ‘here’ as you say, but I will find you…” He looked around, frowning. “It does not appear that you have left the city. This place is too plain and the magic is frustrating. I cannot tell where you are… Would you like to tell me?” 

“Berserker…” 

“They will not let the offspring survive, woman. They will stand in judgement, either these people whom sleep around you or the gods themselves.” 

“There’s two,” Hakuno murmured. “If I don’t calm down, we’ll lose one.” 

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She didn’t want to be in between the berserker and the others. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she revealed something else. Better to have him focused on what was to come rather than the situation at hand. 

And he didn’t look pleased at that either. 

“They are dying.” 

“The girl is. The boy is holding on.” 

“Come back to the palace.” 

“The palace is where the babies declined in health.” 

“I was not here before-“

“I can’t lose them, Gil.” She leaned back, closing her eyes. “Don’t make me choose anything right now. I don’t want to have to choose between parts of you. I can’t choose between parts of you.” 

“You are meant to be here. I can find you if you give off mana. Send me a signal and I will come to you.” 

“I’m so tired, Gil.” 

“I will find you,” Berserker murmured. “Wherever this place is, I will find it. Your hideaway is adorned in Uruk colors and altars. This means you are near home. You are close to me. I will find this place and bring you back to the palace. You will not lose what is ours, Hakuno.” 

The man pulled back, lips pressing lightly to her shoulder. 

“Do not flee from my servants when they come. They are going to bring you back to me. I’ve promised them the master that those thieves have in their midst.” 

“They want Gudako? Why?” 

“Gudako belongs to them. In the way that you belong to me.” 

Why? What did they know about Gudako? 

She moved to turn, but he was gone. 

The others stirred around her, Archer wiping at his eyes a bit before he spun around, checking the windows. 

“You fell asleep?!” Caster hissed at him, moving from near her side. “…I sense mana.” 

“I do too.” Enkidu moved to their feet, closing their eyes a moment. “…Why is it fading so fast? What is happening?” 

“Hakuno,” Caster turned to her, a hand pressing to her belly lightly as he looked at her. “Are you-“

“Berserker is trying to find us,” she murmured. 

“It is useless, Hakuno. He would need to become knowledgeable in-“

“He was here.” 

Archer glanced over at Enkidu. 

“We can’t relocate, friend. They’re searching the city and this place is the only one that they cannot sense. If we try to move, any magic that we use will become apparent. It would only make us have to return here and be caught.” Enkidu glanced over at her. “How long do we have?” 

“He couldn’t tell where we were. The windows and doors are closed. He just knows we’re in Uruk.” 

Caster nodded, his gaze moving away from her. 

“We need to think about things carefully from here on out. So long as he doesn’t know where we are, we may be able to get away with being here until we can find the grail. Things will be easier once we have Gudako and the others here.” 

“What does Gudako have to do with Berserker’s servants?” 

The others paused. 

“They’re not his servants, Hakuno. He’s a servant,” Caster pointed out. 

“He called them his servants,” Hakuno pointed out, shaking her head. 

“We could have Hakuno make him surrender his servants,” Archer pointed out. She could-

“Using magic at this time would put her in a precarious position,” Caster hissed. “Or have you forgotten your little moment of brilliance with her already?” 

“I don’t want to hear it from someone thinking you could separate divinity from a person.” “Guys!” Hakuno raised her voice a bit, glaring at them both. “I don’t care. I just want to know what they have to do with Gudako. Berserker said they’re following him in return for Gudako. He said that she belongs to them.” 

“Women always belong to men in this land, Hakuno. Daughters belong to their families. Wives to their husbands; it assures their wellbeing, unless they decide to pledge themselves to the gods.” 

“You aren’t answering my question. What does Gudako have to do with those servants?” 

Archer moved over to her side, motioning Caster to the door. “I’ll explain it. It won’t do for Berserker to somehow see in here without being here. Check your damn spells and figure out how to prevent this from happening again.” 

“I don’t even understand how he got in here to begin with.” 

Enkidu moved to Shamhat’s side, shaking her softly as Archer pulled some of the bread in the room over to their side and held it out to her. 

“You need to eat.” 

“Archer-“

“Hakuno, don’t neglect what is ours.” Archer moved in closer, holding the bread up for her. “You are playing on my-“

“Archer, if you are harassing Hakuno with your foul mood, I shall take her from your side and speak with her myself.” 

Archer glared over at his caster self, expression darkening. “You’re supposed to be checking your magic, Caster. Stop listening in and focus on your work.” 

They were going to start arguing if she didn’t do something. She moved forward, taking the bread from the man and leaning against him. His arms wrapped around her waist. His lips pressed against her hair. 

“We will get you some more food today. You’ll need enough to feed the three of you. You are going to stay here as well. Unless we find somewhere more suitable.” 

“Archer, you aren’t explaining the servants and Gudako’s connection to them.” 

What was going on? 

The man was hesitating, motioning for the food from Shamhat and Enkidu. He was busying himself with the process of feeding her. 

“Gil-“

“Do not hound me on this. I am going to explain!” He earned another look from Caster, but held her closer and pulled the plate from the other two over to them. 

After a few bites of food, he spoke. 

“As you are aware from your many conversations with Gudako, she used to have a doctor on her staff. The doctor oversaw things until it was found that he was the grand Caster that was causing the trouble, to some capacity.” He made a sound, “I did not like nor care for what occurred, merely became annoyed at the fact that the woman became hopeless for a time afterwards.” 

“How does that-“

“One of those two servants, Solomon, is Gudako’s doctor friend. The other is a demon that caused a great deal of trouble and nearly destroyed humanity.” 

She paled, looking around at the others. “We need-“

“Food.” Archer set the plate of food on her lap. “Rest. Do not think about this any further, Hakuno. You aren’t going to be fighting right now. You’re already too involved, fool.” 

“Gudako won’t want to fight her friend, Gil. She could be in danger-“

“Hakuno,” Enkidu slipped around the others, avoiding the lions as they leaned against her lap. “They are not far from here. I can feel them moving carefully along the river. You will see them in a little while and they will probably want to know how you are doing.” 

“Enkidu, if they’re caught…”

“They are fine. They will be fine.” The clay being smiled up at her. “You are already tensing, Hakuno. Would you like to talk about something else? Gil and I can talk about our time here in Uruk. Shamhat will no doubt have some good stories. Are there any gods or goddesses in particular that you want the children to be close to?” 

“Close to?” 

Archer snorted, “She will have to choose Ninsun and herself, Enkidu. Any other choices would be an insult.” 

Enkidu ignored him, nodding. “Often a woman will choose a god or goddess in particular for the children to pray to, at least until they grow older. Ninsun had Gilgamesh pray to Ishtar until he was old enough to learn of other gods. He was not good about it though, I’m told.” 

“You prayed to Ishtar?” 

Hakuno glanced up at the king, but both Archer and Caster seemed to have found other things to preoccupy themselves. Archer clicked for the lions, petting and speaking to them quietly to avoid them all. 

“Is that why Ishtar’s your patron goddess for the city?” 

Nothing. 

Enkidu snickered away next to her, rolling onto their back and wrapped their arms around one of the other lions. “He didn’t know better when he was young and Ninsun had been given leniency from Nanna.” 

“Do you think I should have the little ones pray to Ishtar?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

The two men were suddenly back, glaring over at her. 

“Hakuno,” Archer chastised. “Do not forget what Ishtar has done to Enkidu. There’s no point in them praying to a useless goddess.” 

“She’ll offer nothing to the two. Let them pray to Enlil before they pray to Ishtar.” 

“I’d rather they pray to nothing before that filthy pest,” Archer hissed. 

“I would rather that as well, but the formalities,” Caster argued. “We must think of the formalities of this, Archer. Don’t let your prejudice blind you. There are worse things that could arise.” 

“Let’s let Berserker kill the gods then. We can kill him afterwards.” 

Their voices raised with one another, their attention focused on outdoing the other in their argument. 

The argument wasn’t going to help against Berserker though. 

The opponent that they were fighting against was with a doctor who was also a caster. He was keeping a hold of the city of Uruk and was ruling over the army and the people without question. And she should have done more. 

In the very beginning, she should have prepared to take him down. She should have ignored the fact that he was Gilgamesh. She should have denied-

Enkidu moved in closer, shaking their head. “You’re going to worry until this is over, aren’t you, Hakuno?” 

“I can’t stop.” The more she tried to think clearly, the more things-“

“You need to just stop entirely. Did you not hear me when I told you what is needed of you?” Archer leaned in, hugging her tightly. “You are to rest, admire your kings as they finish off this problem, and then give me what belongs to us. There is no need to think about anything else.” 

“That may be, but-“

Caster and Enkidu stood up, the latter of the two nodding. 

“They’re giving off too much energy.” 

“I can sense them too. We need to get them before it’s too late. Do you think they ran into guards?” Caster looked to the being, earning a nod. 

“The waterway from the gates would have been fine. One of them must have lifted their head over the waters.” 

“Fools.” 

The two hurried to the other room, the sound of the water splashing heard before Archer scoffed. 

“They won’t last if it is merely the two of them.” Archer looked down at her. “I am going to leave you with Shamhat for a few minutes. Do you think you can cease your worry that long?” 

“Go help them.” 

The man headed away, disappearing as well. 

Hakuno looked back over at Shamhat, watching her eyes wavering before they closed. She could feel the mana now. Whatever was going on, it seemed that there was a fight or something. Berserker and the others would be getting themselves to the scene quickly. She needed to-

She shouldn’t do anything. The others could escape. She was fine here with Shamhat. Even if the woman seemed to be dealing with exhaustion or the remnants of whatever Berserker had done to put the others to sleep, she would be safe here. Caster had set up a barrier. 

A sharp cry hit the air. 

“Gula. Ninsumun.” Hakuno clicked her tongue for the two, heading over to the door carefully. 

She’d slip out, attack from a distance, then come back. 

“Forgive me, Shamhat,” Hakuno murmured, heading out into the evening. 

She could see the fires as they came, the light coming from what could only be Ozymandias’ attacks. There were beasts, great demons crawling forth from the ground. They turned to her as she walked through the empty, dark streets, beginning to head her way. 

“Go,” she breathed to the lionesses, pressing her hands to the two. 

Mana illuminated along their veins, their eyes glowing like great embers of fire. The two were lunging forth, slamming into the demons as Hakuno took to holding the sides of buildings, slowly heading towards where the fighting was. 

She could see the others fighting. Her hand wrapped around a forgotten sword, no doubt one of Archer’s. 

“…Romani,” Gudako breathed from nearby. Her eyes were looking up at the white haired man, a wound in her shoulder bleeding out. “…Romani, don’t do this.” 

“Come with me, little master of servants.” 

"Stop this... We need to stop him." 

The other's face was smooth, a devil in the guise of a man. "Come with me." 

"Solomon... No, Romani, listen to me-" 

"Come with me," he said again, halting her words so easily with his tone. 

Gudako was hesitating. 

The man was getting beneath her skin, his eyes glued to hers. The man's hand was illuminated, preparing to touch her. From there, she could only imagine the menagerie of things that could happen. Gudako could be traced if that was a trace kind of magic. She could be killed. She could- 

“Gula,” Hakuno hissed, calling the beast to her side. She directed the lioness towards the servant. “Go.” 

The lioness roared forth, slamming into the man and sending him careening back. Hakuno rushed in, wrapping an arm around the woman and pulling her along with her. As the man went to attack, Hakuno called the other lioness to herself, sending them after the man.

“Hakuno!” 

“Shhhh,” Hakuno glanced towards the others, noting Merlin already heading their way. The magician motioned them both down, sending a spell the lioness’ way a moment before she was struck. 

“You should not be here, burdened one,” Merlin murmured, forcing her to sit out of view of the others. “The one man is here, but the other two could be close behind.” 

“Gudako is wounded.” 

Merlin shook his head at her. “You’re straining yourself.” 

“I have a lot more mana than that.” 

The hand that went to her shoulder and the power that surged through her person said otherwise though. For once, the heaviness to her person and tensions that she hadn’t even felt were gone. Her eyes drifted to the magician, watching him press a hand to Gudako’s shoulder and healing her slowly. 

“We need to get the others out of her-“

Hakuno could see the man looking in her direction. She could see both lions had fallen. 

Shit. Her hand tightened on the sword at her side, her gaze narrowing in as the servant began to head for them. 

Cu Alter dropped between them, slamming their lance into the man. 

“CU!” Gudako cried out, trying to push passed Merlin, but the magician held on. Cu Alter and Solomon were engaged in action now. The being's lance moved, meeting block after block from the grand caster's magic. She could see the strikes that hit Alter though. Cu's face and body shuddered from the onslaught, his expression darkening as he tried to be faster, better. He let out a roar and Enkidu dropped down now. The demons that the being had been fighting littered the ground around them as the two struck at the man. 

“We need to retreat. MAGE KING!” Merlin called for Caster, earning a glance their way. 

Archer was moving along with the mage king, both of them grabbing her and lifting her from the ground. The sword was gone, back into the gates as Caster held her in his arms. 

“Have we seen Berserker?” Archer breathed, looking around with his armor in place. His hair was plastered to his head from swimming, as was Caster’s. The two of them looked like drowned rats. 

“Waver! See to the clay and Cu!” A great light illuminated the skies again, the tanned rider moving his way through the moment of light to their side. 

For a moment, it became impossible to see anything again. 

Another flash of light. The demons were screaming into the night. 

“What is she doing out?” Ozymandias’ voice demanded. “Kings, do you have no regard for your offspring?” 

“She has snuck out,” Caster argued. “And you are blinding her. Do not waste my master’s mana on trying to blind our enemies.” 

Merlin’s hands pressed to her face a moment before the world was right again. 

“Thank you, Merlin,” Hakuno murmured. 

“She is here then?” 

“Yeah. I need to go fight.” Gudako moved to stand again. “Gramps! We gotta go!” 

The assassin king moved forth from the depths of the shadows, raising his sword and heading for Solomon as well. Hakuno reached forward, grabbing the woman’s shirt. 

“Don’t- You’re still wounded.” 

“That’s my Romani,” Gudako argued. 

“Gudako, please.” 

She understood. Truly, more than anyone else in this group, she understood what was going on. The man was not trying to help her though. He didn’t care about anything else right now. He wasn’t wanting to take her home or correct the mistakes of the past. 

He was ready to take her down. 

“Master, may I recommend we retreat?” Merlin offered. 

“I can’t let us lose this chance,” Gudako breathed. 

Waver moved in close, pressing a hand to her neck. A surge of mana went through her. Her body dropped into his arms. 

“Effective,” Archer commented. 

“She saw Solomon on the surface and pushed up for air. She started this whole thing,” Waver murmured, lifting her up and looking at the enemies behind them. “I assume we are not going far?” 

“No,” Caster commented. Hakuno could feel herself being adjusted in the man’s arms. “King of kings. Archer. Grab the lions. They won’t be able to walk for a time after this stunt. Merlin, tell Raikou to cover our backs. King Hassan and Cuserker should take up the rear as well.” 

Merlin nodded, sprinting to where the purple attired servant was slaughtering dozens of demons. 

“You were a fool, Hakuno,” Caster breathed, holding her tightly. 

“I had to help.” 

The man ran through the streets, leading the others back to the safehouse. Waver settled Gudako onto a cot near Shamhat, ripping her shirt open and hissing at the cuts. 

“Is she going to make it?” Caster inquired. 

“It’s going to be close,” Waver murmured. 

Ozymandias and Archer carried in the lionesses, setting them in the corner before Archer was barking for things. 

There was a scent of blood now prominent in the air around them. 

“Hakuno.” 

Caster turned her face towards his own, shaking his head. 

“You need to stop looking. You need rest.” 

“Gudako loves him, Caster,” Hakuno murmured. “She loves him. She can’t kill him.” 

They were in trouble if they tried to have Gudako fight Solomon. She’d falter, she’d become a victim because her heart couldn’t take it. 

They were both screwed. 

Caster’s lips pressed against her own, a determined look on his face as he pulled back. “No matter what happens, Hakuno, we will take care of it.” 

“Caster?” 

“What is it?” 

Hakuno shook her head. “Stop telling me things will be okay and start thinking of ways to let me be a part of this fight. I'm not going to rest, not until we take down Solomon and find a way to contain Berserker.” 

They glared at one another, the sound of the others returning echoing around them. She could hear Archer demanding things from Enkidu and Merlin, bandages and first aid things mostly. Raikou was moving into the room, waking and speaking quietly to Shamhat. She could hear the fire crackling at her side. She could smell the food being cooked now as Ozymandias demanded food. Fatigue was coloring the edges of her vision, but she refused to be distracted. She refused to let there be a weakness in her words.

"You will risk everything." 

"I'm not asking," Hakuno replied. "I'm telling you I will need your help. I am going to fight with you all." 


	20. Into The Depths of Darkness

“Full frontal assault.”

The woman looked directly at Caster as she said it, hands on her hips as Cu Alter raised a hand in solidarity. 

“We’re gonna go full frontal assault. I say we get Napoleon and Moriarty here and we just full on blow the palace to smithereens.” 

“Gudako, aside from the fact that you would be blowing up my very palace, the centerpiece to the city of Uruk, the building that shows off the strength of Uruk and keeps the people from being slaughtered and savaged by our neighboring countries, and the fact that you’d probably be slaughtering a handful of my people at the same time- No.” Caster shook his head at her. “You are never this bloodthirsty.” 

“You missed Agartha then,” Cu Alter called from his position near her. For some reason, Hakuno had found that the berserker had taken one look at her and settled in next to her, nuzzling against her person. 

Enkidu was not helping by cuddling her other side. 

“Excuse me?” 

Cu Alter nodded, resting his chin atop Hakuno’s belly. “She felt, compelled, at times to go with certain things and say certain things. By the end of it, once she had returned to Chaldea, she’d decided to go back and lay waste to the whole place.” 

“Shush, Cu.” 

“The blood was enough that Carmilla and Bathory both required private baths.” 

“CU!” 

Caster shook his head, glancing to Merlin. “Restrain your master, Merlin.” 

The mage, banned from being too close to her, had taken up lying with his head on Shamhat’s lap, murmuring quietly to her and grinning away until Caster spoke. At his words, he glanced over at them all. 

“…I would restrain her, but you have to understand that we have gotten into a point where things are… What would you call them, Leader Hassan?” 

“Grim.” King Hassan’s eyes seemed to illuminate from the corner he was in, the shadows made from the firelight dancing across his features. “Things are grim. A ruler must think more of what can be salvaged from this broken place. Sacrifices are necessary.” 

“Sacrifices…” Hakuno looked to Gudako. “You know the man that the others were fighting… Solomon, wasn’t it?” 

Gudako shook her head. “Solomon is dead.” 

She didn’t get it either but- “There’s something to how Berserker operates. I don’t know. He can feel like death. Maybe he found a way-“

“Hakuno,” Gudako glared at her. “Don’t go there. Solomon and Goetia are dead. They’re completely gone. Solomon sacrificed himself. We all nearly died the last time that we fought him.” That red head’s glare went to Caster. “Which is why if they have anything close to the original, which they do, then we need to destroy him now and save ourselves.” 

Caster returned that glare, turning his attention to his Archer self. “Archer, seek reason with this woman?” 

Raikou paused so Archer could return his attention to the room. Those red eyes met his caster self’s and he shrugged. 

“Archer!” 

“I am learning the manner to which a woman must give birth, Caster. Do not interrupt us again.” He turned away once more, motioning for Raikou to continue. “You were saying about boys and cords…”

Caster took a step forward when Cu Alter jumped. 

The berserker’s hands pressed to her belly, feeling the movement from the boy. 

“He likes kicking, doesn’t he?” Hakuno asked. 

“There are two…” 

Enkidu nodded. “The girl is weakening a great deal.” 

“If I had known, I would have helped,” Cu murmured. “Mana from alters are far stronger than the mana from these other servants. As it is, I am a bit too weak to help you, Hakuno.” 

“Alters…” Caster turned to Gudako. “How long would it take to get another alter here?” 

“Ah- that’s a little hard when the only fucking communication left to Chaldea is in your basement.” 

“That was destroyed,” Hakuno told her. She’d wandered around looking for it, but it was gone. Berserker Gil must have found it. 

“So we have no one to help, we are holed up in this building, and you don’t want to destroy the three great evils that are starting to take over your land,” Gudako rattled out, shaking her head. “We can’t save them. Normally, I’m all for trying, but…”

But she was unsettled. She’d faced that enemy before and she had nearly been killed by him. Rather than being upset or contained about it, Gudako was doing what Gudako did best: respond with action. Quick, impulsive action. 

At one time, she’d have been all about it, but she’d grown since then… hadn’t she? 

Then again, her actions here could not necessarily be construed as calm or collected. She used Gilgamesh’s lions to strike at enemies. She called for death in an attempt to protect Caster and Archer, instead throwing them into war. 

“Gudako, we will end up endangering everyone if we do what you are suggesting,” Caster growled. “Let us rest. We shall think when you are not frantic and without reason.” 

“I am thinking clearly! You are the one who is-“

King Hassan stood up, nodding and speaking in that normal, final manner of his. “Contractor. We rest and attack in the morning. You are without much energy and it is beginning to be noted by my weakening. Do not strain yourself in argument.” 

She didn’t have a choice then. 

Gudako gave Caster one last look before moving over to between Raikou and Merlin. Her body was pulled into the latter’s arms, a chuckle escaping the mage before the door to the other room opened. Waver and Ozymandias came in, motioning for the next shift of perimeter guards. 

Archer and Raikou moved without argument. 

This time, when the others settled in and the flames continued to die down and the logs slowly get tossed in from time to time, Hakuno could watch the effect that happened. A vague scent met her nose, making her nose twitch. Fatigue began to take over her system before she felt a trickle of mana. 

She could see Caster seem to falter in his feeding the fire, his body moving to lay close to the flames. Merlin merely closed his eyes with Waver and Ozymandias. Enkidu and Shamhat tried to stave off the sleep, but it consumed them. Their yawns grew and grew, their eyes flickered between open and closed until, after a time, there was no opening their eyes. 

The others in the room seemed to falter, all but Cu, who lifted his head to look over at her from her lap. 

“Hound,” an all too familiar voice greeted. 

“You must be the golden alter,” Cu Alter greeted, tail raising to move slowly back and forth. 

Hakuno could feel a pair of hands on her shoulders, that long, golden hair pouring over her shoulder in a flood of golden tresses. The berserker curled his lip a bit in distaste. 

“I did not expect another so close to my creation to be here.” 

“Your woman needs to be protected.” 

“And you fought my beasts.” 

“Your woman’s child is dying.” 

A hiss escaped Gilserker, his eyes drifting to her for confirmation. “I had-“

“I’m trying to help her, but…” 

Gilserker turned to the other berserker, “You are a creation that defies life, are you not? You know that there is no purpose to these noble intentions and foolish protections when the gods will merely wipe humanity out in their next fit of boredom. You realize the futility.” 

“You want me to bring her to you.” 

“I have found a cup.” 

The grail. Hakuno almost shouted for one of the others, but a claw held her leg, Cuserker leaned up towards Gil berserker. “Your woman cannot leave without the clay. They can sense the children, they will lead the others to you. They have… a greater power.” 

Greater? 

No, they didn’t. 

What the hell was he thinking in talking like that? 

Shit, it was a trick. 

Hakuno tried to calm her racing heart, tried to think blank thoughts for a time. 

“A greater power?” 

“Allow me to bring the woman and her creation from the gods. The clay being wishes for the safe journey of the tiny ones.” 

“And why would I allow the fake clay being into my home?” 

“Because your woman loves them. She tends to their clay and it calms her spirit, allowing the two to survive as well as they are. She clings to the clay like they are a sibling.” 

“My woman is a creation made of flesh and blood, unlike Enki’s clay-“

“So you would deny her then? A creation has no siblings, no love given once they are born. They do not need to be raised, merely toyed with,” Cu argued. 

She was going to let Cu Alter fight the other Cu Chulainn doppelgangers as long as he wanted after this. 

“Clever mutt,” Gil murmured before nodding. “Bring the clay. They are your responsibility so long as you are in the palace. If I find them out of line or doing something I do not approve of, then you will share their punishment.” 

“I will not bring anyone until I know your intentions with the lass,” Cu growled. 

“I want what is mine,” Gilserker murmured. “The gods create beings and humans. I have created something far greater. Their fragile conception is bothersome, but I shall fix it. I shall empower them with the cup in my possession and they shall be born to a palace far stronger than any place in this universe. My others are no doubt the cause of this fragility.” 

“Leave the others asleep,” Cu murmured. 

“Bring her quickly.” 

The berserker behind her was gone. 

“Cu-“

Hassan moved nearby. 

“Dog, you agreed to take the child to the enemy.” 

Cu Alter moved to stand up, his back cracking as he stretched. That gaze flickered over to the assassin as he pulled his jacket back on. 

“There is no choice. Hakuno goes and gets the girl straightened out or she loses one. Other than that, she is tied to him. He came without question and the spell that the beast is using comes through her command spells. He’s using her to weaken us. She is therefore no use to this group.” 

What? 

Hakuno stared at him, feeling the blood drain from her expression. 

“Do not be so concerned. It is temporary.” Cu looked to Hassan, “although you’re uncomfortable to me now. How did you-“

“It is merely a toxin. I am immune to much, spikey beast.” 

Cu nodded. 

“We have to take Enkidu though?” Hakuno looked up at him. 

“You would rather leave the clay behind? You cannot take anyone or anything else.” Cu motioned to the lions slumbering in a pile in the corner. “If you attempt to do so, you will be giving them a death sentence. Taking me, there is leniency, but they will pull me away. With two of us, you stand a chance.” 

“What about Gilgamesh Archer or Caster?” 

Cu Alter shook his head. “You want to take them but-“

“Tell them.” 

“And they will stop you.” Cu tossed Enkidu over his shoulder, motioning to her. “Come on. I will carry you this time, since there are stairs and you are unfit for great movement.” 

“I don’t know if this is a good idea.” 

The beast growled at her. “We do not have time for this. You wish to help your golden kings, yes?” 

“Yes, I do.” 

“If you go, which you will, then you assure that Gudako cannot blow up the ziggurat and you ensure the life of the second child. You will give birth to two children and Enkidu and I can protect you. It is not something I am in the particular mood for, but as my master’s… friend,” he said the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth, “then I must do something. Besides, you are the only one who pulls Medb from my side. I am indebted.” 

“Medb is nice,” Hakuno murmured, holding out an arm and being lifted up. 

“She tolerates you, mostly because you gain the attentions of my others and that king of yours. She would like you far more now with the power that you now hold.” 

They were moving. 

Out the door, into the darkness; Hakuno clung to his shoulders and tried to think. Tried was the key word. She couldn’t think clearly when she was trying not to let Enkidu’s hair drag across the ground. The stairs to the ziggurat were taken three at a time as well, the berserker merely leaping from one step to the next without hesitation. 

Further and further up towards the heavens. 

Right back to where she had been before. 

The two from before, the two they had fought, were waiting at the top of the stairs. 

“You took your time,” Solomon told them. 

“The woman is weakening,” Cu told them, carrying her and Enkidu into the throne room. “She needs to be given more mana quickly.” 

“That,” a voice loudly declared, “is my problem.” 

Hakuno felt the ground return to her feet, her hands remained pressed to Cu Alter as Gilgamesh alter moved forward. Once more, she found herself watching him almost slither in his strides, to her side. The long robes he wore did not do anything to take away from the comparison to a snake, the scales on his person only helping to make her think of him in that manner. 

“Moon Girl,” Gilgamesh Berserker greeted. 

“…Berkserker.” 

The berserker’s attention went to the clay being on Cu’s shoulder. “And this is what she left for? What she was so concerned upon ensuring the wellness of?” 

He moved around the other alter, lifting Enkidu’s chin and stroking their face. Those eyes seemed to glaze over a moment, a tremor running through the hand touching the clay being. 

“They are obscenely close to my friend… I do not blame you…” 

“Gil,” Hakuno murmured. 

She couldn’t have Enkidu being harmed. In the midst of the snake’s den, the last thing she needed was for Enkidu to be struck down. They were far from civilization, at least civilization that could help heal the being. Hakuno took a step forward when those eyes returned to her. 

“You continue to surprise me, creation of the moon,” Gilserker told her. “Caring for clay. An imposter, masquerading as my cursed clay friend… How very fascinating.” 

Those eyes seemed to drop to her stomach, the beserker’s hands releasing Enkidu’s face to focus on the other new addition to his life. Additions, she should think, since there were two. Gilserker strode forward, an arm going around her waist as the other pressed to her belly. 

Those red eyes closed, a soft sound escaping him as he allowed himself to focus. 

A weak kick, one that was away from where the kicks normally occurred, happened. Gilserker nodded, opening his eyes to look behind them. 

“Solomon. Goetia. The alter has given me the opportunity to save the child before it is too late. See that he receives a room near to my own. It is obvious that we are of the same mind, despite his… unfortunate circumstances with having the wrong master.” 

Cu gave a nod. 

Gil’s expression remained solemn. “I shall help you with that, since you have given me what is mine… and an interesting extra. Continue to prove yourself and I shall allow for greater rewards. I intend to destroy the gods.” 

“I happen to hate everyone,” Cu told him. 

“As do I.” 

They locked gazes for a moment in silent agreement before Hakuno found the golden berserker returning his attention to her. 

“I will bring you pain, Moon Cell Girl. It will hurt for a time, but you will take it. I have seen you overcome broken limbs and my ire. You have taken in so much of my sin and hatred.” His hand stroked at her cheek, lips pressing to hers. “I will save what is mine… what are mine, I should say. Two children. I did not fully believe it until I felt you pass through those doors. The girl is so soft. She will become much like you. I can tell already.” 

“Gilgamesh.” 

“Save that voice,” Gilserker implored her. “You will need the strength from those words to see you through the grail’s power and through my saving what is ours.” 

Cu gave her a cutting look, eyes flickering to nearby. 

As she turned, she glanced in the direction of the shadows, noting the cold blue color like at the boathouse. 

Once more, within the depths of the shadows, a grand assassin waited, their rigid stance and cutthroat gaze impossible to see from those who knew not of what to look for. King Hassan had slipped into the palace. 

Infiltration of the palace of Uruk had begun. 

Hakuno leaned against the berserker king, earning a light bite at her neck before they were heading towards his chambers. 


	21. Berserker and the Clay Being

In her life, there had been many different kinds of pain.

The pain of being deleted, the pains of being rewritten, the pains of loss, the pains of killing friends; she’d experienced pain in so many ways. It almost unfathomable that there’d be another pain out there in the universe that she did not know of. 

Yet, the moment that Berserker and Solomon had begun plunging mana into her system, she found her mind quickly fading to white, her vision going out as the mere sensation ran over her person. There was no thinking, no getting used to the pain. It surged upwards, into greater and greater agony, tearing at her insides and out, ripping apart any and all thinking. 

She couldn’t get used to it. 

She couldn’t breathe or move. 

Pain. 

So many lengths of pain, mounting further and further. It was like she was going beyond the realm of all else, beyond limits and ends. 

Pain was eternal. 

In that time, it was endless and eternal. She could hear a sound not helping with the matter, but a pair of lips pressed to her own and she found the pain cut off. 

There was no kissing back. 

Her senses were fried, her mind blank. 

“She survived,” the white-haired man looked over at the blond pulling away from her face. “I’m impressed. That kind of experience would be too much for a good number of people.” 

“She is a creation without equal,” Berserker told Solomon simply. 

Right. 

Solomon. 

Goetia was standing by the door. 

Gilgamesh Berserker was the one that had kissed her. 

Hakuno could feel something running down her cheeks, but the man looming over her merely wiped them away, watching her with a proud expression on his face. “Between the stolen power of Nanna, the power intrinsic to my own self and my lineage, her strength, and what we’ve just given her; I have no doubt that the two will survive.” 

Solomon nodded, glancing to Goetia. “We should resume hunting for the others. They are hiding amongst the city.” 

Gilgamesh waved them off. “Go.” 

She heard the door slam, but her attention was on the man next to her. There was too much. It felt like more than merely her adrenaline was running. The mana in her was running rampant. She wanted to run, but she didn’t have the physical strength to get up. She wanted to scream, but her voice didn’t seem to be working. 

And then the man over her was merely closing his eyes, a hand pressing to her belly. 

A pounding that made her wince met his hands. 

“Two grailed children,” Berserker cooed. “The sheer strength of them alone will be more than enough to take down those insects that are taking cover in our city.” 

It hurt so much. 

“Let it sink in,” Berserker murmured. “Welcome the power in.” 

It was hurting too much to welcome in. Asking for her to welcome it in was like asking her to hug an electric fence. 

They should have blown up the damn palace. 

A servant came scrambling into the room though, presenting a bowl to the king and earning a nod. The king, pulling a cloth from the boy’s shoulder, began to bathe her face, ordering for the bowl to be left on the bedside table. 

A quick bow and they were alone once more. 

Or rather, alone with Enkidu slumbering nearby. 

She wished she could speak, just to ask if the clay being would be alright. Whatever they had done, the being hadn’t moved once in response to anything. The trip here, the berserker king speaking, the whole influx of power being tossed into her; nothing had phased them. 

“I find it surprising that they allowed you to keep the two this long,” Berserker told her. “It is not in me to share anything with anyone. Something of this significance…” He shook his head. “Did you lie to them?” 

She wasn’t good at lying. 

She tried to speak, but the words were mere breathing and a whimper of pain. 

“It is too soon, I suppose. I know you must have.” Berserker nodded to himself. “You will not be able to tell me where they are hiding either. Not in this state. Our berserker acquaintance must tell me then. I imagine he will accept the new contract with me quite easily.” 

The berserker turned his hands, showing her the command spells on both hands. “I was attempting to summon that which the root and the grail does not want summoned. They are impressive as well. Their power stems from my power. Their knowledge has been a welcomed addition to my own, although I did have to jostle with them a bit. There is a noble streak in Solomon.” 

There was? 

“Was, I should say.” Berserker smirked, leaning over her until his hair seemed to curtain the room out. “Do not believe the nonsense that my other selves preach to you. There is no hope for this universe, not as it is. The various times and worlds cannot live in peace. We destroy Nippur and then we expand, my little queen. Destroy that place you summoned me to. The other worlds that exist. We shall destroy them all and take what we please for Uruk.” 

“…no…”

It surprised them both that she could get the word out. Yet, there it was. A perfect no, albeit a bit weak. 

“Hakuno, the gods alone will wish for death and destruction. They will steal everything you hold dear. You think they will not look at the power of these two here,” he pressed his hands to her belly, “And think that they can take them for themselves? Do you think they will not seek to trick you into handing them over? An overly persuasive argument turning again and again, with them saying things like fate and destiny? Do not lose the last of yourself to their doctrine. If I am nothing else, I am berserker because fate has taken one look upon my hatred for those useless insects and my ability to destroy them and has cowered in fear, labeling me as such.” 

He was no better. 

She closed her eyes, trying to turn away only to have him hold onto her. 

“You know that I am right.” He growled. “You sense it! I see it in those changed eyes of yours. Knowing the gods as you now do, you know they will steal everything! They pillage and reap the possessions of others. They suck away the happiness in this world until there is nothing!” 

And was that not what he wanted to do? Destroy and take? 

“…I’m…” She tried to speak, tried to find words now that the pain and everything was finally beginning to subside. “…I’m a goddess now too.” 

“You are not human.” The berserker rested his head upon her, watching her. “It is different for you because you lack those qualities. You are intrinsically incapable of such desires. You take pleasure, but in a held back sense. Your mind, your body; it is all incapable of fully showing me what is happening to you. It is all incapable of allowing me to be able to predict anything with you. You surprise me at every turn. You bring life. You do not take away.” 

“I have taken life before.” 

“Within you lies the power of judgement and the wolf that will help to claim that life,” he murmured. “I have thought about this while the paths to Nippur ran red with blood. Nungal and the ur. I leave the wolf of a child’s real name to you.” 

“Ur is fine,” she told him softly. For someone who did not trust fate, he played into it well. 

A movement caught her attention. 

Berserker paused as well, catching sight of the clay being beginning to move. 

Enkidu moved into an upright position, looking around a moment before they locked eyes with Berserker. 

“Faker.” 

“You are still on about that?” Enkidu shook their head, their eyes drifting to her belly. “…You’ve pushed their mana too far… Are you an idiot?” 

“I have increased their power and ensured that they-“

“You don’t know what else that will do.” Enkidu moved closer, going to press a hand to her when Berserker moved in the way. 

“Do not touch what is mine.” 

“…” Enkidu stared at him, scowling. “I don’t have time for this. I need to see how far you’ve gone.” 

“Far enough.” 

“They could end up hurt worse or end up harming Hakuno.” 

“They are fine.” 

“You do not know!” 

The voice raise had Hakuno staring at them. Those clay colored eyes locked with the king’s. “I am so tired of you doing this every time there is another you, my friend. Child Gilgamesh comes. Your Archer self must complain and race the boy across endless hallways and play pranks until all of Chaldea is up in arms. Your Caster self comes. The two others are raging away at the blatant kindness that he expresses and the concern that Hakuno holds for his wellbeing. Tablets and scrolls burn because you and your damned possessiveness! And now you, Berserker.” 

Enkidu loomed over the berserker by standing on their knees on the bed. 

“You are no better. You get summoned and you harm my master and other friend. You bring her here and you make her do things that she would not have wanted. You make people die. People who cannot return to this world because their one chance at life is gone!” 

“Do not speak to me as they would have,” Berserker growled. 

“You kill and squander time because you would like to show your own dominance. You take her because they take her. Because you all sense something within her that resonates with yourself. You do not kill me,” Enkidu shoved at him, “because you know that it is me. You know! You stupid mourning version of my king.” 

Hakuno grabbed the being before Berserker could strike, holding them to herself. 

They’d crossed the line, tempted fate. This fool would kill them to make his own point, to prove that he was different. 

The being’s arms wrapped around her, lips pressing to her temple before the being was looking at the seething man nearby. 

“Hakuno and her babies will be under my protection,” Enkidu told the berserker. “As your one and only friend, it is my job to see to their wellbeing. I would like for you to be around when that happens. When they are out and crying to the world, but you are going to die at this rate.” 

“I will not die.” 

“You will and Hakuno will be upset.” Enkidu was cuddling her closer, their warmth a welcomed change from the pain and the cold touch of Berserker Gil. “Is it not practice for a man’s woman to seek comfort in the arms of the brother when their love is lost? I know that is often how our culture has done things. Know that I will take care of her and the infants in your place.” 

“You will lose your limbs if you do not cease holding my woman.” 

“Take. Me. From. Her,” the clay being taunted, their face more serious than she had ever seen them. “If you do not think that Hakuno will be upset by it. If you do not think that, yet again, she will leave you. She left before. Kidnapped? Your little goddess of the moon? Did you think she would hide the world away in the depths of night to help you?” 

He was glaring at them both. 

“You hurt her.” Enkidu shook their head. “You hurt her with your words and your actions. You wound because that is all you know how to do now. You kill because all you can think to do is kill everything so that the pain stops. You have lost touch with too much of yourself.” 

“Release her and fight me, you fake imposter!” 

“I think I am happy where I am.” The clay being hugged her a little closer, eyeing the berserker king. “How long do you think you have? A week? A month? Your other selves will slaughter you and then you will see nothing. They have already decided names and goals for the two you have saved.” 

He was going to lose it. Hakuno couldn’t do a damn thing about it either. She’d hurt enough just protecting Enkidu. Moving again was too much. 

“You are alive,” Berserker told the being, “because Hakuno wishes it. The moment you no longer hold value, you will die. I shall enjoy when the real Enkidu arrives as well.” 

This was the real Enkidu. 

The king was moving away, heading for the door and moving through it impatiently. The doors slammed behind him, leaving the two of them to be alone. 

“Enkidu,” Hakuno stared up at them. “That was so stupid.” 

“It is fine,” Enkidu cooed. Their arms wrapped around her a little more, adjusting them so that the being could pull the blankets up. “What are we doing here?” 

“Berserker Cu brought us. Gilserker put everyone to sleep.” 

“He was trying to locate us.” Enkidu nodded before glancing down at her belly. 

“Are they okay?” 

“They’re fine. Wrigglier than ever, but fine.” 

She nodded. “Are you okay?” 

“I can’t say that I particularly like this version of my friend,” Enkidu told her, nuzzling against her side. “They are too close to what they would be as a full god. It makes my stomach turn.” 

“Your stomach is never bothered by anything.” 

The being shrugged, cuddling more. 

All in all, she was back where she had been before. The only difference between then and now was that she didn’t have her lions. No offensive maneuvers. At best, she’d have to rely on Enkidu to help her. Along with that, she now had two more servants that were problems roaming around with Berserker. 

“…Enkidu.” 

The being hummed. 

“What are we going to do?” 

“I think,” Enkidu murmured. “I think we should inform the others when you are giving birth. They hide until that point and strike when these fools are busy with you.” The being’s voice was so soft she almost could not hear it. 

“He’s still Gil,” Hakuno told the being, earning a groan. 

“We’ll contain him, if it really means that much. You can use those command spells still, right?” 

She nodded. 

“Then the next command you use is this: ‘I command you to only attack on my orders.’” 

“Too vague, Enkidu.” 

“It’ll knock him down enough that the others can bind him and get him contained.” Enkidu nodded. “It won’t last long, but with Merlin and the others, it’ll be enough.” 

It didn’t seem like enough. 

The gods would have seen that, wouldn’t they? They would have known that she could merely command the berserker into being complacent enough to be caught. No, she didn’t trust this a bit. 

It was Enkidu saying it. The being was brilliant. 

But her mind and her senses were saying that this wasn’t enough at all. 

They lay in the silence for a while though. She could feel the mana running so wildly through her system. From time to time, she could feel another nudge and movement. She could feel something that said that the two were alive and well. 

One problem was solved, at least. 

One, out of the myriad of issues that were filling this city, was cleaned up and taken care of. She just needed to be a little careful from here on out. She needed to play things wisely and not press her luck too far. 

“What if we named them Ninsun and Enki?” 

Hakuno stared up at the being, blinking. 

“What?” 

The being nodded, “Ninsun can also be named Gula.” 

“Like the lions Gil has?” 

“He’s not good at naming things,” Enkidu confessed. “But you should name them Enki and Gula. It would be entertaining.” 

“We shouldn’t name them something that we would find entertaining.” 

“Okay, name them that because the two gods would probably lose their minds over it and the others wouldn’t necessarily be able to take the two. No use having two gods with the same name.” 

They were supposed to be naming one after the god Nanna though…

It was still a god’s name. Naming them after the two gods in particular would probably invoke the gods’ wraths upon Enlil. 

Gula and Enki…

“Berserker has names in mind.” 

“I don’t care,” the being told her. “I’ve named them. You are welcome. They are my little Enki and Gula. My precious two new family members whom I’ll see soon.” 

“Enkidu…”

Those clay colored eyes looked up at her, their pout making her almost roll her eyes. 

Naturally, they would think she’d just falter at the look of those sad eyes in her direction. They would think she was no better than their friend, merely giving in to whatever nonsense they wanted to do now. She was better than that. She had no need to name her two babies after…

They closed their eyes, hugging her a little more. “Gula was known as the one who breathes life back into Babylonia in the creation stories, Hakuno. She is the one of healing, of putting things to rights. She eases the suffering and ensures the wellbeing of the people. The fact that you almost lost her, only for her to bring that much more healing back into the world after you saved her; it would be truly a blessing.” 

Damn. 

“Alright,” Hakuno told them. “Alright. Gula and Enki. They’re named. It’s done.” 

“Listen to your pretty mother,” Enkidu cooed to her belly. “She listens so well to your Uncle Enkidu. She is too easy to persuade, but remember to use that knowledge carefully.” 

She threw the being a look, earning a laugh from the clay being. 

“Ah, things feel better already. We’ve got this, Hakuno. You should rely on me more often. If we all listened to me, our problems would already be resolved and we’d be deciding whether or not the company of temple maidens are necessary for the evening.” 

“Missing Shamhat already?” 

The being flopped to her side on the pillows. “She is fun. As are others. I enjoy all of my friends in this world. Shamhat, the being whom shares my face, the kings.” 

The being who shares their face? 

Hakuno went to speak, but the smile on the other’s face while they were describing things was too nice. Someone being happy was too great to stop. She’d ask about it later, perhaps. 

If she remembered. 

“Clay.” 

“Ah!” Enkidu moved upright, grinning to the assassin nearby. “First Hassan, so you’ve come.” 

“The others are awake. Master is calling for me.” 

Enkidu nodded. “Did you hear my plan?” 

The towering horror of an assassin shook his head, standing within the shadows of the room with those bright blue eyes blazing in the midst of that darkness. 

Enkidu switched to another language, speaking quickly before the eyes vanished. A wisp of black dust went out the window. 

“What was that?” 

“One should never say things in a way that people anywhere nearby can understand more than once. I told him what I told you.” 

She nodded. 

Then the plan was in place. 

No deviations. No changes in plan. 

Tomorrow, she’d find a way to put the wars and fighting on hiatus. 

Tomorrow, she’d make Berserker listen. 


	22. Bargaining with the King

Gula and Enki.

She was still excited about the twins being alive as she headed through the halls. The more she said their names in her head, the more right they felt. 

Hakuno settled at the table beside Enkidu, watching the being looking over the morning spread of food. It seemed they were poking at the various dishes with their tableware rather than eating. 

“Perhaps we shouldn’t piss off our new friends,” Cuserker murmured. 

“I don’t like this,” Enkidu muttered. 

“Tough.” 

The berserker simply grabbed a plate and set it on top of his own, beginning to eat without hesitation. The man’s table manners were probably seen as atrocious, but there was something nice about some uncivil mannerisms at the table. 

“Where’s Gil Berserker?” 

It took a moment to realize she had said it aloud. A hand pressed to her shoulder as a white haired man settled at her side. Those golden eyes looked her over before the man motioned towards the windows. 

“If you are looking for him, you merely need to look outside. He and the army have been searching through Uruk.” 

“They’re searching Uruk?” 

“For your others,” Solomon confirmed. “They have gotten away with far more than is allowable. Stealing you was a final straw.” 

It was hard to be stolen when you leap into a man’s arms, Hakuno thought. 

“You died.” 

Solomon nodded. 

“No, I mean,” Hakuno motioned at him. “You died permanently, didn’t you?” 

The man leaned back, slumping a bit in what should have been Gil Berserker’s chair. He played with a ring on his finger. “The problem with that is that you are merely thinking of one time and one place. Surely you’ve come to understand that not all dimensions are like this one. In my time, I was successful against the Chaldeans. However, they eluded me in one final act.” 

“One final act?” 

The man nodded. “That is a discussion not to be had. Know that my price for my assistance is merely the Chaldeans. I am taking the master and leaving with Goetia.” 

Hakuno glanced towards the demon nearby. 

She didn’t like that idea. 

“What if… I could offer you more than Berserker?” 

“You are severely with child, to a point of requiring assistance from a clay being for walking. Your acquaintances are hiding, not out of plan but out of fear. They sneak in like rats through the walls and are being smoked out at this very moment.” 

“I could help you with Gudako.” 

“Ah, little one.” Solomon smiled at her enigmatically. “What do you think you can do? Sweeten her towards me? Persuade her to trust me? I killed her best friend in my time. I did things that your Berserker self would have been so proud of.” 

“Gil Berserker can’t be successful. He can’t destroy Chaldea and the world. He’s gone too far.” 

She could feel Enkidu hovering close, although it seemed that the being was at least settling in enough to begin eating alongside Cu Berserker. 

“What do you want in the end, Hakuno?” 

Geez, this conversation again. 

How does this end? 

Why did they always have to get to that point? 

Had she the will, she’d probably groan. As it was, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. 

“We’re not worrying about that. I need your help. You want someone I know the location of. In my eyes, we have a bargaining chip for one another and I think we can make a deal.” 

“You’d surrender your friend?” 

No, but she’d let her beat the shit out of him. 

Solomon stared at her a moment before laughing a little. The merry sound almost cast a spell in how it calmed her. Those eyes simply softened, that smile easing from the smug smirk it had been. 

“So you wish to make a deal with me. Alright. What are your terms and what are your goals? Depending on them, I will consider a deal. After all, I am not truly one to have a master like this.” The man rubbed his hand, “it makes me uncomfortable.” 

Terms and goals…

Let’s see. 

This was a caster. If so, then she could have the man trap or contain Gilgamesh. If he was strong enough. If the berserker was contained, then they could push him to see reason. Archer and Caster had gone through reasoning after their initial fighting stage. Berserker’s was just more bloodthirsty. His madness and mourning were just overboard. 

“Hakuno?” 

“Give me a moment,” she told him. 

She needed to think about this. She hadn’t thought she’d get this opportunity. 

She honestly hadn’t thought this would be an opportunity to be had. 

“Solomon,” she began. “My goal is for Gilgamesh Berserker not to die.” 

The two servants at her side both stopped eating. She had no doubt that they were staring at her. Why keep the beast alive, they no doubt thought. Why bother when he was such a threat? 

“Interesting.” 

“Gilgamesh Berserker isn’t evil, he’s just… he’s…” She waved her hand idly, trying to think of the word. 

“Oh, now don’t go saying he’s just lost or confused. Don’t be one of those bleeding hearts who thinks that a man past the edge of madness is just a hurt puppy in need of love.” 

“Of course not.” Shit. 

She’d kinda thought in that direction for a while there. It was too damn hard when she had so many good memories of Gilgamesh Archer and Caster in mind. Seeing Berserker make the same faces made her have hope. 

“So you wish to keep him alive, why?” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” 

Solomon glanced down a moment before shaking his head. “They wouldn’t have lasted a moment had they been his.” 

Fuck. 

She forced herself to keep a straight face. “I’m persuasive.” 

“You’re full of shit, but do go ahead. I’m enjoying this.” He lifted his goblet, motioning her on. “Why keep the pretty madman alive?” 

“He’s my servant.” 

“Whom you have no control over.” 

“He’ll calm.” 

“He will, right after the world has been destroyed.” 

“He has calmed at the thought of creation.” 

“Ah, but we’ve already discussed how that isn’t entirely the case.” 

Damn him. 

Fucking wise-ass. 

Hakuno straightened a bit, ignoring the kicking that was obviously telling her that she needed to try harder. “Look. I need him alive. Contained and alive. What happens from there is my business. I want a way to control him before he goes too far and others come to kill him.” 

“You’re divine, aren’t you?” Solomon smiled more, “are you telling me that you and your god-worthy power is not truly strong enough to handle a mere man?” 

The urge to hit this man was very strong. 

Hakuno shut her eyes a moment. 

“Alright. I want Gilgamesh Berserker alive. I want him contained. I am too far into having two kids to be able to do it myself. So yes, in a sense, I am not powerful enough. Along with that, he bears the face of someone I deeply love. So yeah, I can’t do it even if I wasn’t like this. So someone else will need to do the honors. He trusts you. He listens to you. You could do it.” 

“I’m his servant.” 

“Servants disobey all the time. Look at him.” 

Solomon nodded. “And my rewards?” 

“You want Gudako. I’ll take you to her.” 

“I could kill her.” 

Damn it all. 

“You said that you killed her friend, not that you killed her.” Hakuno glared at him as she thought back to before. “…You also didn’t hurt her when you had a perfect shot. You tried to get her to come with you.” 

The man paused. 

Got ‘em. 

Hakuno felt a smile come to her face. 

He hadn’t wanted to hurt her, not too much anyway. He’d been caught up in trying to get her to come with him. He’d reached out his hand to her and she’d turned him away. This man was weak to her. Which meant, so long as they were careful, they had an ally. 

“You love her.” 

An overreach, but the man didn’t say anything. A bored look came over his face. His attention went to his drink for a moment. 

“That’s why you want her. You want her back. I bet your Gudako died somehow, before you could get to her.” Killing her friend probably had come afterwards. He’d probably done it out of outrage. 

“I will help you,” Solomon told her. “However, do not speak of her again. Mine is gone. Yours is all that remains.” 

“I want Berserker alive,” Hakuno told him again. 

“I will find a way.” 

“Will Goetia help you?” 

Solomon directed her attention back to her plate. 

“Eat. Do not ask or pursue anything else.” 

She wanted to ask and pursue so much else, but there was a gleam of blond hair and a swish of red robes coming through the door. Hakuno could see the man moving along the table, Solomon vacating his seat before he could reach them. 

“Entertaining yourself?” Berserker asked. 

“The lady wished for other company. She was worried about you.” 

The berserker moved fast enough that she barely saw the blow. Solomon was on the ground before anyone could move. 

“Do not take my place, caster. You may sit there, if you are inclined to eat further. Otherwise, there are soldiers in need of protection spells outside.” 

Protection spells? 

Was he having the army spelled to be able to withstand blows and attacks? 

Those red eyes flickered to her. Hakuno turned her attention back to her plate, trying not to be obvious about her eavesdropping and thoughts. 

“It is pleasant to hear that you are enamored in finding me, since you were in such pain before,” Gilgamesh Berserker murmured. He moved in closer, pressing his lips to her cheek. “What were you discussing with the caster king?” 

“Your safety.” 

Technically, she had been. 

The man stared at her, taking a moment to let that sink in before his laugh rang out through the room. The others in the room at the other tables were slowly making headway towards the door. Goetia was already out. 

“My safety,” he wiped at an eye, grinning. “Oh, but you are strange, Moon Cell girl. Why you would worry over something so trivial, I will never understand.” 

“I don’t want to lose you.” 

The laughter increased, his arms pulling her onto his lap as he settled into his proper seat. “Faker Being, do you hear this woman? She concerns herself with my wellbeing. As though I did not nearly destroy her friends and servants just a while ago. Does it not amuse you?” 

“It’s so funny,” Enkidu replied. “About as funny as Ishtar killing me.” 

The man’s grip tightened on her painfully. 

“…Do not speak, Faker.” 

“Ah, did I say that aloud?” Enkidu smiled brightly. “It must have been those faker bits of me. I got up this morning and Hakuno said, why don’t you make as many inappropriate comments as possible. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get the chance. Thankfully, there’s this asshole holding onto my friend so it’s made things much easier.” 

The gates were opening around Enkidu, but the being merely sipped their drink. 

“Hakuno, sit on the table a moment,” Gilserker told her. 

“Enkidu is my friend.” 

“We’ll make you a new one.” 

Hakuno smacked him. 

It was instinct. She wasn’t sure how she had even managed to get her hand to move, but the sound echoed in the room. The two servants near her were staring. Solomon was staring from the doorway. 

The whole room went still as Gilgamesh berserker pressed a hand to his cheek. 

“…what is this?” 

“Don’t hurt Enkidu.” 

There was a strength in that statement that she didn’t really feel. 

“Did you strike me, woman?” Those red eyes blazed as he looked up at her. “Did you-“

“If you hurt them, I’ll toss myself down stairs.” 

Tension was rising, the berserker looked over her, taking a moment before he looked at the being again. 

“I could lock you in our chambers,” he told her. 

“I’d starve myself.” 

“I could force you to eat.” 

“I’d force myself to choke.” 

“Woman, I’ll have my caster merely use magic to make you eat.” 

Hakuno shook her head. “I’ll never forgive you if you hurt our only true friend. Enkidu means everything to you and to me. If you take him away, you won’t like what happens.” 

“Hakuno,” Enkidu murmured softly behind her. “…Don’t threaten such things.” 

Gilgamesh Berserker glanced over at the being again. “…Hakuno, they cannot be Enkidu. I watched them die.” 

What was it that Solomon had said? 

“You watched one reality,” she murmured. “My Enkidu, the Enkidu of this time and place, is right here. If you hurt them, I won’t hesitate to tear apart everything you love.” She looked up at those pissed off eyes and nodded to herself. 

“You won’t.” 

“You think you’re the only one that can lose their mind in mourning.” Hakuno smiled darkly at him. “Take away Enkidu, even threaten them again, I’ll show you how far I can fall into madness.” 

The Berserker was speechless. 

Solomon gave her a small bow before leaving the room. 


	23. Hellfire and Brimstone

Things had become quiet.

For as deep and climatic as things had become with the army returning to Uruk and searching for her friends and the Gilgamesh, for as wild as things had become with Gilgamesh Berserker having Solomon and Goetia around, for as hectic as things had become with her body unable to really do a great deal like before; nothing was happening. 

Enkidu rose in the morning and escorted her to the dining hall. 

Gilgamesh berserker made threats about the others. 

Enkidu mentioned her being stressed. 

Gilgamesh berserker spend some time in the afternoon curled up around her. 

Solomon met with her for a moment at a random point to merely tell her to remember their deal. 

The dinner would be filled with foods that Enkidu and Berserker Gil made her eat heartily from. Sometimes Cu Chulainn Berserker and Gilgamesh Berserker would fight in a cleared off area of the room while she ate. 

Things happened, but things really didn’t happen. 

It was anticlimactic. 

It was strange. She really found herself starting to lose track of time after a while. She looked out at the world, waiting for something. 

Would King Hassan come to give them an update of some sort? 

She looked into the shadows of every crack and corner, prepared to see a pair of icy blue eyes looking out at them. She looked to the darkness in expectation of seeing the vague outline of spikes and a cloak. 

Would Ozymandias storm the place with the others? 

The pharaoh was not normally one able to stand being this silent. Even when missions had called for stealth, she had often found that the man was too loud. Her anxiety would spike with his volume of voice. She would find that they were soon fighting and never keeping to the shadows. 

And then Raikou. 

Raikou was someone who enjoyed getting to the end of things. She wasn’t very patient in battle. When children were involved, she was normally very protective. With the babies coming, she had expected something. Something sooner. 

“Hakuno,” Enkidu moved in closer that evening, pulling her closer 

“I’m worried.” 

Worried wasn’t the right word though. 

She was impatient. 

That was closer, but also not quite right. There was this tension in her, building with each second of each minute of each day. It coalesced within her, bubbling up a little more. 

It made her want to deny having the food. It made her want to forgo cuddling up to Berserker. 

She looked at the command spells on her hand and felt her mind reeling once more over what she could do in his position. 

The man was attached. 

She knew he was attached and she knew that he was allowing her more freedom than he needed to allow. 

The clay being nuzzled against her back, hugging her close. 

“They are still here?” 

The doors were open a bit, the long haired blond walking into the room with his usual bored look. Those red eyes were glancing over at the two of them, almost judging in the manner that he seemed to watch them as he drew near. 

“Enkidu helps me not have to have the weight on my waist so much,” she told him. It felt better to sleep on her side. It was easier to get up too. 

But the berserker climbed onto the bed, glancing at the being and nodding for him to go. 

“You’re welcome,” Enkidu told him. 

“Leave us.” 

Enkidu blinked, snuggling closer and wrapping their legs around hers. “I don’t want to. Hakuno just said I was so useful, Gil. Let me help continue to keep her safe. She’s so close now. I can feel the two wanting to be free.” 

“Leave us, imposter.” 

A sigh came from behind her. “This again?” 

“Gil, just let him stay.” 

“I demand a moment with you. One not involving some god’s spittle clinging to your ankles.” He glanced at the being. “I will not tolerate insubordination on this. I’ve dealt with enough of this.” 

Geez. 

She glanced over her shoulder a bit, watching the being merely hold onto her. 

The man would make things difficult if this continued. Hakuno nudged at the being lightly. “Enkidu… Enkidu let Gilserker and I have a moment.” 

“I’m going to count the seconds,” the being murmured. 

“That’s fine.” 

But Gilserker was following them to the door, slamming the wood bolt into place and sliding the four metal locks into place to keep anyone from being able to get in. The man turned back to her and wrinkled his nose. 

“Do you know where the Chaldeans are hiding?” 

Hmm? 

Why would he ask that now? 

After all of this time, there were a hundred questions that he could ask, but that one was almost pointless. The Chaldeans could have easily moved by now. It had been too long. She wasn’t sure if they were close or hiding out in the underworld with Ereshkigal or…

Goodness, they could have been visiting Ninsun in the land of the gods right now and she would have no idea. 

Berserker merely sighed, running a hand through his hair and glancing towards the windows. 

“I have shown you patience. The being will slaughter the two when they are born. The others will come to take care of the issue if the being cannot succeed. You must see the threat of that.” 

“They will be fine.” 

“I have been patient, Moon Cell girl…” He shook his head. “Is it the divinity that makes you this naïve? Is it that god’s power running through your veins that makes you think you can possibly avoid this? You will die. The babies you hold will die. Do not be stupid. I am the difference between life and death. I have been from the moment I carried your broken body into this land.” 

“They won’t hurt them.” 

“You are that prepared for death?” 

“I won’t die.” 

Berserker was storming closer. “You are pathetic.” 

“And you’re the one that did this to me.” Hakuno glared right back at him. “They won’t hurt the babies and this won’t end the way you expect. Don’t underestimate me.” 

“Oh?” 

He laughed, the sound echoing throughout the room. 

“And what will you do?” 

His hands were on one of her legs. She knew what was going on. She pushed her mana towards that leg, waiting for the break. 

But the man merely stroked at her knee, that expression almost bored. “Look at you… You should not use your mana, Hakuno. Attempting to do so will harm your babies. You don’t want to do that, do you?” 

“What are you doing, Gil?” 

That expression darkened. “Solomon told me of your deal.” 

It was a fight to stay stoic. The man had betrayed her. Somehow, she wasn’t really surprised by that fact, but it still was annoying. She had been relying on him to stay silent. 

“Perhaps, breaking these and barring that being from this room will help.” Berserker looked down at her legs again. “You do not need them for this process. They are already almost useless to you. I could have the servants handle your care in here.” 

“You won’t.” 

“The being would run to your friends,” he continued. 

Those eyes were gleaming at the prospect. She knew he was right. 

Enkidu wouldn’t be able to help themselves. They would hear her screams and they would find out what was going on. They would run from here, knowing that something needed to be done. They would change the plans, they would think. They would go to tell the others that she had been hurt and, in doing so, they would bring a war to the doorstep of where the others were. 

With the fight going to them, there would be nowhere to run. They could very well be cornered. 

“Gil…” she let the threat linger in her voice, although what that threat was- she had no idea. 

What could she do in return. 

The command spells. 

Her heart was starting to race as berserker’s grip tightened. 

“It is with the downfall of those mongrels and this foolish world of humanity that I think this way. You may blame them all for this. You won’t hate me. It is not in your genetic makeup, it seems, for you to hate me. I break you, you kiss me. I say these things to you, yet it is with affection and softness that your gaze lingers with mine.” 

Oh, but she could hate him right now. 

She could hate him with something fierce in her. 

That grip was almost painful now, her bones threatening what was to come. 

He’d really break her legs. 

Without someone around to help or a potion this time, she would be unable to heal herself properly. Once was fine, but she couldn’t really reach her legs while in this condition. The mana required to heal and the strength required to sit up and lean forward would harm the children. 

Tighter. 

“If you know where they are, now would be the time to prove yourself to me,” he told her. 

She couldn’t tell him though. 

Not just because it was very possible that the others had moved, but also because it would show disloyalty. Telling him where they could be would be the same as admitting that Solomon was right and that she had been working against him. 

She couldn’t lie to him either. 

She didn’t have the power to truly lie. She would be caught up after a while. She would get tangled in the white lies and would find herself being found out. Already, she needed to prove to herself that the half-truths were truthful enough. “Tell me, my little queen,” he purred. “No one will help you. Solomon is confined. I will not trust a man who would make deals behind my back. I will kill him after I break your legs. All I need to do is hold back the mana you provide me that I provide him.”

Tighter, she could feel blood running down her leg. She could feel a fierce pain beginning now. Her bones wouldn’t last. He would snap her left leg and then he would go for the right. 

Surrendering to being trapped in this manner to Berserker forever… 

Or the death of the two inside her. 

The command spells. 

Her mind whispered the words to her. She could feel her eyes flash as she glared up at him. 

“That’s it. Tell me,” he growled. 

“I command you to be denied all mana except enough to exist at my side unless I specifically allow you mana, Gilgamesh!” 

It had been done without thought. 

The words, the idea itself! All of it was instinct-driven. All of it was spur of the moment and irrevocable. 

But the pain began the moment the command spell vanished from her hand. She could hear him roar in outrage. She could hear the palace turn into a series of sound and shouting as guards roared in the distance. 

It was worse than that though. 

She couldn’t focus on the words or the sounds at all. The pain that ruptured in her was immediate. A wetness had formed. She could feel movement in her belly. 

She’d induced her own labor. 

Berserker was tearing at the furniture, overturning things in a bloody rage. His words thundering around the room. The door was locked so that no one could enter and no one could escape without moving the locks out of the way. 

And she was trapped on the bed, feeling the two infants in her telling her that it was their time. 

Alive or dying from the mana use, the two were coming and she had no one. 

Hakuno could feel a cold sweat forming. Her eyes were roaming over the room, trying to think of what to do. 

Right now the berserker was in his own state of outrage. His fury was unfocused, but she couldn’ try to call for help. 

He could hurt her. 

But the pain! 

The immense pain was cutting through her senses. The edges of her vision were trimmed in a red tinge as she held onto her belly and tried to think of what to do. She bit her tongue until it bled. 

She couldn’t do this alone! 

But she couldn’t call for help! 

_Gilgamesh,_ she prayed. 

Where were the others? 

_”GILGAMESH!”_ She screamed in her mind. 

He wasn’t a god. He couldn’t hear her prayers. 

Ah, the pain though. 

She was whimpering. The sounds were going to draw the man’s attention back to her. She needed a quick escape somehow. 

Berserker was going to run out of furniture to throw and trash. He was going to notice her as he focused that anger at a certain point. 

He would blame her. She had done this to him. 

_Someone_ , she prayed. _Someone help me._

Think. Think. 

She needed to focus on what was going on. She needed to push. She could push the two out somehow and figure out a plan. She’d weakened Berserker. If she could get the two out, there would be no danger for her to use her mana. 

They were coming. She knew they were coming. 

Push. 

She gave it her all, focusing in on the process at hand. Who cared about the mess. Who cared about anything else. 

The man was raging. She had time. 

Not a lot, but she’d conquered the Moon Cell. She had fought before and she would fight again. 

She could do this. 

PUSH! 

She gave it her all, closing her eyes and tasting the blood in her mouth. The metallic taste was terrifying. The taste drove her mind into a state of panic. 

If the babies weren’t alive. 

If she had lost one through using that command. 

No…

She couldn’t think like that. 

Push. 

She felt more movement. Her very hips felt like they were going to give out. She wanted to rest. She could just close her eyes and never open them again. 

No. 

PUSH! 

She’d beat the living shit out of Gilgamesh Berserker when this was done. She’d beat him over the head with something over and over until he collapsed because the damn asshole had scared her right into this predicament. He’d trapped her in here with him and she was alone because of him! 

BECAUSE OF HIM! 

PUSH! 

“Hakuno,” the beast growled. 

Those eyes were looking her way. 

“I’m a bit busy,” she growled with every ounce of anger that she could muster at the moment. The pain seeped into her words, adding an emphasis and edge to the words. 

Fuck him. 

She hoped the others came and beat him. 

She hoped they busted down the door and pinned him. 

Stabbed him. 

Nothing was worse than this. 

PUSH! 

She’d never felt pain like this before. Even being deleted hadn’t been this bad. 

He was freezing, his eyes looking her over as she bent her knees and pushed again. Her hands were clenching, holding the sheets tightly. 

A pounding was coming at the door. 

She’d kill him the moment this was done. 

Oh, she’d kill him for this. 

Then she’d beat in Archer and Caster too. 

PUSH! 

Those eyes were unfocused, his face paling. 

“Just wait,” she snarled at him. “Just… Wait.” 

This was unbearable. This was too much. Every part of her body was slick with sweat and she was pretty sure this was what true death felt like. She gave him a look that reflected all of it. She could hear a pounding at the door. She could hear the clay being’s voice ringing in the air before there was more sound. 

An explosion came from outside. 

“H-Hak…” 

He stopped. 

His eyes were turning to the flash of fire in the air outside. She could see smoke billowing in the evening skies. 

A scream tore through her as pain racked through her body with the next push. It made the berserker in the room shudder, his eyes wide and round before he was turning. 

He rushed for the windows, running out to the lion’s path. 

He would be going after the others. 

A flash of green lunged down, slamming against him. She could see the being transforming, their mouth widening to bite at the berserker. 

The two were tumbling towards the earth below, leaving her in agony alone. 

PUSH

She could only stare up at the canopy over her head and continue. 

Push. 

Push. 

Push. 

It became a mantra. She didn’t think about anything else as screams and bloodshed came from outside. Explosion after explosion could be heard. The earth rumbled with the violence of what was occurring. Voice after voice was making declarations. 

A great flash of light reflected off the gold in the room. 

Push. 

Push. 

She could feel one. She could hear the cries and shifted only slightly, making some space as she felt the other coming. 

Cries echoed in the room. 

Push. 

Another flash of light. She could hear the lions roaring in the distance. 

Push. 

Push. 

The second was faster. Or maybe she was just going insane and the time around her was no longer mattering. Maybe she was too broken to think clearly. 

Push. 

Push. 

Damn. Damn it all. 

She hated the sound of that crying right now. She needed someone here to help her. 

The second set of cries rang through the room and she felt something. She tore at it before she felt the disgusting remains of her handiwork around the two screaming infants. 

Two babies. 

God, but why had there been two fucking babies? 

Her body was shaking. She felt so damn cold and tired. Her hands grabbed the blankets from nearby, pulling the two children up to her side and trying to push the cushions so she could be on her side. 

She wiped at the pudgy, slick faces. 

It wasn’t cute or precious. 

Nothing about infants and birth was precious and worth cherishing right now. 

Every part of her demanded rest. 

Her eyes were fighting to stay open. 

In a room filled with shattered glass, broken furniture, and torn tapestries; Hakuno found herself unable to escape. 

The war outside was merely an echo of what she had gone through. 

And who gave a shit about that. 

Enki. 

Gula. 

Hakuno glanced towards the window again before she pulled her two children close and grabbed a shard of broken glass. She set it near them, closing her eyes and keeping an arm close to the two. 

If anyone came, she’d wake up and kill them. 

Anyone. 

But it still felt like she was bleeding for some reason. The world around her was spinning a bit as she looked towards the violent world outside. 

So tired… 

But… 


	24. Fallout

They’d felt it, the mana slipping from beneath their fingers. All that power, all that strength; it was gone in an instant. Archer had looked to Caster, noting the other leaping to his feet and staring towards the palace.

“We have to go. NOW!” 

Gudako was jostled from her nap, the other servants were getting up slowly. 

“OZYMANDIAS!” Caster roared at the man. “AS WE PLANNED! NOW!” 

They were all running out. No questions, no hesitation. 

But Archer could feel his blood running cold. He had never felt this weak before. He had never been without at least a little more mana than this. 

Hakuno…

He could feel Shamhat grabbing his arm, looking at him in confusion and fear. 

“I need you with me,” he told her simply, seeing her nod. 

They needed to get into the palace somehow. 

The lion’s path was too narrow, too dangerous right now with the start of the war. He could see the soldiers coming to the streets, staring at Caster in horror as the king demanded to be let through. They could see Goetia in the distance, ordering for the soldiers to fight without pause. 

“IMPOSTER!” The demon roared. 

Imposter. 

How dare they. 

How dare the people of his kingdom doubt his validity. 

He pulled the temple maiden behind him, taking to the other paths. The back alleys, filled with muck and with grime. They ran through linens and through filth. They leaped over the bodies of the dead as Gudako’s and Caster’s voices roared over the silence of the evening. 

“KILL EM!” Gudako roared. 

“LEAVE NONE STANDING! NO SOLDIER THAT FIGHTS AGAINST HIS KING SHOULD BE PERMITTED TO LIVE!” 

Light came over the horizon, he looked back, seeing the pyramid rising up as another fell forth from the heavens. He could see the clouds gather, lightning forming as Raikou attacked. 

They would slaughter everyone, but that didn’t matter right now. 

If he was weakened and Caster was weakened, then that meant that Berserker was weakened as well. 

He would find the bastard and kill him. 

Without a doubt, he’d end this tonight. He would find a way-

“Gudako!” 

Gilgamesh nearby missed being attacked as the white-haired caster lunged forth from the entrance of the palace. He could see those eyes turning to the master of Chaldea. But Gudako was changed, her gaze was hard as she cast out a hand and commanded Raikou into another noble phantasm. Merlin was bolstering up her power, Caster Gilgamesh added to the power as well. 

The lightning was worse than before. The darkness was spiraling as the woman lunged forth and threw her attacks onto the man. 

“My king!” Shamhat cried, holding onto his arm. 

Archer glanced towards his bedroom window, where the thin, winding path was at. He could see a great flash of green in the light of the lightning. Two bodies were fighting in the air. 

He grabbed the sword from a fallen soldier and rushed forth, telling the maiden to run for the palace entrance when able. 

Enkidu was attacking Berserker. 

But it was his fight, he thought darkly. It had been from his side that the man had stolen his woman. It was his woman that the man was hoarding away. His children were unprotected because the beast had taken them. 

Another body lunged from a lower window, slamming into the two. Archer leaped up, joining the fray. 

Cu Chulainn Berserker’s tail flipped before his eyes, those claws on those hands sinking into the other berserker’s skin. He could feel the other stabbing at them, but it was weak, it was barely doing anything. 

Enkidu was biting and tearing at his skin with his enlarged mouth, attacking at a speed that could only be done by the quicker servants normally. Again and again, the being was going after the berserker, tearing him apart. 

And him? 

He could not use his gates in this condition, but he was one who had been born and lived without the gates before his death. His sword was slamming into the man’s body. His head was slamming against the other’s body, making the beast roar and writhe in agony. 

They’d tear him apart. 

They’d leave no part of him for the buzzards and the wind. 

Ereshkigal would have nothing to claim. 

But his wounds kept healing. His skin kept growing back. 

Hakuno was still connected to him. 

“BACK!” He told them. “ENKIDU! CHAIN HIM!” 

The chains came forth from the gates. Enkidu tied him up and panted, their eyes blazing with hatred and something more. 

It made the blood in his body run cold. 

The being never looked like this. They never lost themselves in this manner. 

Hakuno…

He looked up towards the window, praying for the sight of the woman. 

A curtain was drifting out, waving in the wind. 

Torn. 

Dark instead of white like his curtains normally were. 

He ran. 

As fast as his feet could carry him, past the body of the fallen caster as the redhead merely sat on the cold hard ground and looked at the dead servant disappearing. 

“I-I couldn’t be human…” The servant told her. “Am I fated to always die like this with you?” 

The choked sobs were ignored as Gilgamesh left them, up the stairs as quickly as he could go. He could hear Caster giving a declaration to the people of Uruk, but he didn’t care to listen. 

He had to go faster. 

Faster yet, he leaped over several bodies in the throne room, passed the servants who were still attacking some of the guards. 

He ran as his lungs burned and his eyes searched for something. 

Shamhat was pounding on the doors to his chambers. She was demanding the guards find a way in. At the sound of his running, she spun around. 

“It’s bolted!” 

He didn’t stop, turning and running for the window nearby. He threw himself at it, grabbing the wall at the last possible moment as he crashed through it. His body clung to the side of the ziggurat. 

The lion’s path was close enough that he could drop onto it, wobbling precariously. He shifted one foot after the other, moving as fast as he could. 

Hakuno. 

She needed to be alive. She needed to be waiting for him. 

He could hear the sounds of small cries from his room. His stomach churned as his mind ran over the implications. 

The doors were bolted. The babies were making noise. 

Hakuno had been alone for the birth of their children. 

The midwives had always spoken of the dangers of a woman being alone for a birth. The pains were excruciating, the blood loss so great at times that the woman would die while in the process of giving birth. 

“HAKUNO!” 

He called out her name, but no one responded. 

He found the frame of the window, he grabbed the curtains for support and threw himself into the room. 

Glass littered the floor. Blood was spilt on these floors. The walls had their décor torn off and in shreds around him. Nothing was in one piece but the bed. The bed was a mess of its own though. Blood was dripping from the sides. Two wiggling forms were moving, getting closer to a hand that held a piece of glass so hard that it was bleeding. 

He went to the door first, throwing the metal locks that held the wood board in place aside. He threw the doors open and let Shamhat and the maids run in. 

“DO NOT TOUCH THE BED!” He demanded. 

The women looked around his room and paled, huddling together like the useless birds that they were. He went back to the bed and leaned over the woman, checking her pulse and seeing her paler than normal features. 

“She’s still bleeding a bit.” Shamhat murmured at his side. 

He opened the gates, pulling forth ever potion he had for this problem. 

Shamhat selected one of the more dangerous bottles. 

Too much would induce a deep sleep. 

“Can you take the babies and bathe them, my king?” the maiden asked of him. 

Him. 

Commanded into doing labor. 

Shamhat must have sensed her words and their meaning. She lowered her gaze. “Your woman is going to need our attention. She should not have gone through this much pain. We need to treat her, my king. Please… take your daughter and your son and bathe them. You will feel better with them in your arms.” 

He tried to breathe, but it was so hard right now. He couldn’t think straight. 

“GIL!” 

He sensed the being as the other ran in, their eyes falling to the infants. 

“They’re alive… Enki and Gula are alive.” The being laughed, picking one up and cuddling them close. The baby girl snuggled against them for warmth. “Ah, my sweet king’s baby. My precious friend’s offspring…”

Archer looked down at the other baby, trying to figure out what to do. 

“Enkidu,” Shamhat looked to them. “Can you please take the king and the children to the baths? They need to wash the blood off themselves.” 

“Of course,” Enkidu replied. 

The daughter was pushed to his chest. 

He looked down at the red eyes and felt his throat tightening. 

They should have had brown eyes. 

They should have looked more like their mother than they did. Their faces were too pudgy. Their bodies were too chubby. 

Were they truly his and Hakuno’s babies? 

“My friend,” Enkidu pulled at him, making him hold Gula close. “Come on… We need to clean them. The babies will get sick at this rate.” 

“We need to get back to Chaldea,” Archer told them. 

“Later,” the being murmured. “We will later.” 

The building was being cleaned. 

Enkidu motioned him all the way to the baths, stripping down before they climbed into the dark waters with the boy in their arms. 

“…Enkidu,” Archer stared at them. “We’ve never had to clean an infant.” 

“I have.” Enkidu grinned a little, setting the infant on the edge of the bath. “Come come. I will show you how this is done. Shamhat had me clean a baby once when I was with her. It was before I met you. I imagine that cleaning babies has not changed.” 

There was still the sound of violence outside though. There was still shouting and sobbing in the distance. 

He could feel his hands shaking as the being cooed softly to the child before them. 

They cupped water with one hand, holding the child with their other hand. The two of them worked in time to one another, with Gilgamesh watching the being coo softly to the boy. 

“You are named after the one who created me,” Enkidu murmured. “That means that you are important to me too.” 

Archer just stared at the girl that had long gone quiet in his arms. 

Those red eyes were staring up at him. 

Did she hate him? 

How much had others badmouthed the Gilgamesh that had haunted these halls? How much torment had Hakuno been put through when he had been away from her? Would the two instinctively hate him now? 

“You have to tell babies that you love them,” Enkidu told him, setting the baby aside a moment on the stones to dip beneath the water. When they came up, scrubbing their body for a moment, he could see Enkidu was already preparing to get out. 

He handed Gula over, letting the being bundle the two as he wiped the blood off his person. 

“Ah, you are both such treasures,” Enkidu murmured. “Both of you are so sweet and small.” 

He climbed out after the being, materializing his robes and his jewelry into place. Taking the two, he stared at both of them for a moment. 

They now had color. They were both looking up at him with the same red eyes as him and now Hakuno. There were wisps of hair, but he wasn’t sure the color in this poor lighting. No doubt they’d probably be blond. 

“Look at your father,” Enkidu murmured to the two. “He’s smitten so much he’s silent!” The being pressed their lips to both babies’ cheeks. “Spoiled. You’ll be so spoiled.” 

A figure moved near them. 

Another forming near that. 

Enlil lowered his hood, staring at them. 

“So they’re out.” 

Gilgamesh took a step back, finding the clay being moving before him. Their hands were lengthening, curling into claws. 

“Enlil.” 

The god looked behind himself, watching the other hooded figure lower her hood. The golden hair was unmistakable. 

“You would take my grandchildren, one of whom is named after me and the other named after the god Enki, from my son? Do you wish to incur the wrath of us?” 

“There was an agreement in place.” 

The goddess shook her head. “It is too late. The mother has already named the two. The mother will always have final say. They are Enki and Gula.” 

Enlil turned his gaze to them before lifting his hood back up. 

His mother merely tilted her chin up, smugly watching him leave. 

“I was smart in coming up with the names, was I not?” Enkidu grinned at her as the god vanished. “I thought, what two gods could we name them after that would not demand to have them for themselves?” 

His mother was coming at them though, her arms wrapping around the four of them before Gilgamesh felt the tears against his face. 

“Do… do you want to hold one?” Gilgamesh asked her numbly. 

His mother was nodding, pulling back and wiping at her face. “Gula. Let me see Gula.” 

The girl was in her hands instantly. His mother was pressing her lips to the small thing. “Oh, you are magnificent… I didn’t think it would get to this. I didn’t see this ending so well…” 

He wasn’t sure if this was well. 

Everything felt numb. 

“Gula,” his mother cooed, smiling at her. The tears were falling again. “Oh, my Gula. You are going to be as strong as that mother of yours… She was so stubborn. She was so strong. She worked so hard for you.” 

“I need to check on Hakuno,” he told them both, handing his son to Enkidu. 

“We’ve got the babies,” Enkidu promised. 

Right…

He headed back to his chambers quietly. 

Why did his chest hurt this way, he wondered as the maids and guards ran passed him with bloodied fabrics in hand. Stepping into the remains of his room, he watched the mongrels of the palace all panic to try to keep his woman alive. 

They needed to do better, he thought. They needed to be faster. 

“…Hakuno.”

He needed his queen alive. 


	25. An Intimate Interlude With the Twins

A chest against her back, holding her close when she felt the world coming back to her. She could feel someone stroking her face softly. She could feel the blankets over her body, feeling cool and light.

“Archer, we have to attempt to wake her,” a voice spoke up from nearby. 

“She is resting, Caster. She had to bring them into the world alone. Let her have her sleep.” The voice closeby was right. She was tired. It was really tempting to simply go back to sleep. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet. She had time to return to the nothingness from before. 

“They’re hungry.” 

“So feed them.” 

A groan came from the direction of Caster. “Archer, you fool. Do you understand how children work? Hakuno will need to-“

“There are women that provide when a mother does not wish to or cannot provide herself. Find one of them.” 

“You’d allow a stranger to feed our children?” 

“Hakuno needs to-“

“You’ve denied us for hours. The twins are becoming restless. You would not allow for Hakuno to neglect their needs when they were in her. Do not allow for this now. Move aside and allow me to wake her.” 

“If you are too noisy, I will bar you from this room,” Archer snarled. 

“The children need actual food.” 

“Hakuno needs to rest.” 

“Archer-“

Hakuno shifted, feeling a dull pain and listlessness in her body. 

How long had she been asleep? She wasn’t sure what was going on anymore, but the two Gilgamesh were talking. How had they gotten here? The last time she had heard from them, they had been hidden away-

Her eyes flew open, her body trying to move only for Archer to hold her in place. 

“Hakuno,” Caster was moving onto the bed as the other helped to lean up a little. She could feel Archer supporting most her weight for a moment. Caster was pushing the cushions behind her, settling her nicely into a more upright position. 

“Lean against me,” Archer commanded. 

“Wha…” She could see her stomach was flatter than before. Her body was in a clean white set of robes. Her hand was wrapped in bandages. “What happened?” 

“Hakuno, we can explain, but the twins are starving right now-“

“She deserves to-“

“Enki and Gula need something to eat!” Caster’s voice firmed, his gaze focused on his other self. “Don’t make them wait. They’ve been waiting long enough.” 

Enki and… “They’re okay?” 

Caster smiled a bit, nodding. “Enkidu is rather good at caring for them and our mother has not released Gula since the moment Archer handed her over. They’ve been bonding with the two the entire time you’ve been resting.” 

She looked around the room, noting its rather opulent furniture. It took a moment, but she could see they weren’t in the same room as before. 

This room was filled with deeper crimsons, minute gold accents here and there. The floors were a black color. The bed itself lacked the canopy that the last bed had held. 

“We had to move you,” Archer told her. “What Caster is neglecting to mention in his rush to bum rush you into becoming a meal for the wailing duo is that you need food. You pushed yourself too far this time, Hakuno. You were bleeding out for hours.” 

She had no doubt of that. Her head still felt a bit fuzzy from the blood loss. 

“Let me talk to the palace workers.” Caster pulled back, sighing. “I’m sure there’s some food left. You probably want to see the twins though.” 

“She can see to them-“

The doors were opening though. As though on cue, Hakuno could see a green haired being peeking in and grinning. 

“Hakuno!” 

The bundle of deep blue fabric in their hands was no doubt one of the two she’d brought into this world. The woman behind them was carrying a red bundle. 

“Excellent.” Ninsun moved into the room, moving around the being and motioning Caster aside. The bundle she was holding was squirming, those cheeks and face squished in frustration from the looks of it as small sounds escaped the infant. “She’s been needing you for a while.” 

“Hakuno needs-“

Hakuno moved carefully, taking the child from Ninsun’s arms and holding her. 

She looked around at the group and frowned. 

“…How does this work?” 

“You have you use your chest,” Ninsun explained. 

Her… what? 

Archer sighed, motioning for the other infant. “All of you need to leave. My master and I will take care of them.” 

None of them made any motion for the doors, although Enkidu did hand the baby over. 

“Caster,” Archer warned. 

“We need to ensure the babies are fed.” 

“Hakuno is going to not like being exposed to the room.” 

Exposed… What the hell? 

She frowned more, finding Ninsun chuckling. 

“It’s not that bad. It’s only-“

“Out.” 

The man said the single word in a deep snarl, earning a sigh from Caster before the man was motioning for their friend and mother to head to the door. The guards were turned away as well, the doors closing with Caster promising to return soon. 

“Finally,” Archer breathed. 

“Archer, how do I do this?” 

Archer pulled at her lapels, exposing her chest and lowering the baby close to one of her breasts. His expression was still set to a scowl. 

“It’s breastfeeding for now. We don’t have much stored away for some reason and a portion of Uruk is still burning from the fighting. The citizens are confused and Caster and I have been taking turns with going forth to direct the remaining soldiers.” 

“What are you all going to do?” 

“Ereshkigal has been blamed, although I would have preferred it be Ishtar. She was going after a foreign kingdom or two when her madness that she “induced” into the king backfired. The priests have been paid enough to make the claims believable. The people are taking to worshiping Ereshkigal harder than ever for her good graces.” 

Hakuno glanced at the two infants, nodding quietly. “And Berserker?” 

“Chained in the dungeons for now. We don’t have a place for him and we can’t burn him without you giving him up. He keeps sucking away at your mana enough to stay alive.” 

Right. 

Hakuno leaned over Gula, cuddling her a little closer as Archer held her son to her chest as well. The two were strange being with her like this. She wasn’t really sure what to make of this and it was an odd experience. 

“You risked them both with the command spell.” 

Hakuno looked over at him and nodded. “I had to. Gilserker was going to break my legs and trap me in here. He’d barred the doors. The pain would have made the babies come as well.” Probably. 

She wasn’t sure that was true. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what would have happened. Her mind had simply-

Archer leaned in a little more, raising a brow. “You could have had Enkidu come to help.” 

“They were trapped outside the room.” 

“But the windows are a weak point in the rooms. They’re an unerring method of escaping and entering that room.” 

True, but…

She wasn’t sure what to tell him. She felt Gula stop and look up at her, those bright red eyes unmistakable. 

She’d had two divine children. Two very much divine babies that would have as much strength as their father and his goddess of a mother. 

“Enlil will come for them.” 

“Mother has already taken care of that.” Archer pulled Enki away as the boy stopped, settling the boy on his lap and looking him over carefully. The blond wisps of hair were no doubt identical to the king’s own hair. They’d be looking identical in a couple decades. 

“Ninsun did?” 

“She threatened him.” Gilgamesh toyed with the boy’s hands. “You named the two after her and that useless god of creation. Between the two, Enlil cannot stake claim, even if we did make a deal. The man’s half of the deal was completed, and I did attempt to fulfill my end. You merely decided to name the two yourself.” 

“Enkidu helped.” 

Those red eyes flickered over to her, accompanied by a smirk. “They were eager to take credit.” 

“Will that be enough though?” 

“Enlil is a god. He gets mad often, attempts to get even often. Going against someone that creates life is dangerous though. Even if the god is useless, Enki won’t let things go far, not with someone named after him.” 

She could just go back to how things were before. 

They could be like how they used to be before all of this. It would take time to fix what had been done to Uruk. It would take time to repair the damage that Berserker had done, but…

In time, they could make things better. 

She had the powers of Ishtar’s father. They had the twins to show happiness and life to. Gilgamesh Archer and Caster were around and they could help her. 

With them all around her. She could-

“Wait, Solomon-“

“Dead.” 

“And Goetia?” 

Archer looked over at her, still playing with their son’s hands. “He was slaughtered the moment that the servants were weakened. Gudako went entirely after the two with the servants at her disposal. I didn’t see their end, but Gudako has been quiet since they disappeared from this world. The other servants took her back earlier. We’re without her group for now.” 

Solomon had been alright before. 

Had she even given him the chance to speak? He hadn’t necessarily been evil. He hadn’t really been that mad. She’d spoken to him before. She had made an agreement to get free of Berserker through his help. Someone that was willing to help her and knew that Berserker Gilgamesh was going too far was not someone that was necessarily an enemy. 

“You’re being too quiet,” Archer complained. “Don’t think about these things so early in the morning, Hakuno. You have two infants of your own efforts around you. Do you not think they are worth your focus?” 

“They are great, I just-“

The man stared at her, waiting. 

“Uruk has taken a lot of damage. You said the soldiers are lessened. Nippur is still around and I can’t even get out of bed right now.” 

“Are you giving up on me?” 

She shook her head, finding the man holding the infant in his hands up to her. The man's hands were carefully holding to support his awkward body, but he was making sure to keep the boy facing him.

She blinked at the boy’s blank expression. 

“Kiss him.” 

She just stared, watching the man lean the boy in more. 

“Hakuno, kiss your son.” 

She pressed her lips to the boy’s nose gently. 

“And now Gula.” 

She rolled her eyes a bit, leaning down to press a kiss to the slumbering baby girl in her arms. Her eyes drifted over to look at Gilgamesh again, seeing him nod. 

“They are your responsibility now. You are now their servant until they become capable of being instructed how best to serve their family. You’ll need to care for them, protect them, and ensure that they grow. They’re going to make foolish mistakes, upset you, and test your limitations. I have no doubt that the boy himself is going to attempt to go fight in a war as soon as he is able to hold a sword. As for Gula, I have no doubt she’ll enamor herself in jewels and the other treasures inside the palace. They’ll take too much after me, since your apparent affection for me is too much for your heart to contain.” 

“You don’t think they’ll take after me?” 

Gilgamesh laughed, the sound echoing in the room. His look was almost pitying as his gaze returned to hers. “You truly think, with their faces and hair similar to my own… although horribly scrunched, that they will take after you? No. You must have longed for me or something. You created two small versions of your king and they are now your problem.” 

“Our problem.” 

He laughed again. “I suppose I can help, although a man should be bound to his woman if he is to care for infants. The boy will need a proper father to train him how to use a weapon. He may end up like that Faker otherwise.” 

Really? 

She pulled Enki away from him slowly before the man could continue to tease her son. 

“I’ll just ask Enkidu to help.” 

“Hakuno, hand me my son back.” 

“They’re my problem, aren’t they? Isn’t that what you told me?” Hakuno gave him a look. “I would hate to make you do anything that you don’t want to do.” 

“Hakuno-“

He stopped as he saw Gula watching him. The girl’s fists were waving a bit. 

“Ah, it would seem one of my women understands how to show their king reverence.” He reached over her, pulling the girl into his arms and leaning over her. “You may take after Hakuno, I suppose. Your mother is plain and that seems to be a dominant trait.” 

“Gil!” 

“I am informing her of her possible future characteristics so that she may overcome them.” 

“Give me back Gula.” 

“You are holding Enki. Spend time with your son as well.” 

“Gilgamesh.” 

“She’s a fool,” Gilgamesh told the infant. “Obey your father and I will ensure that you are permitted the occasional sweet.” 

She went to comment, but a knock was on the door. Caster moved into the room and looked between them. 

“It is your turn to work with the people, Archer.” 

“You interrupt at the worst of times, as to be expected of a useless caster,” Archer told him, setting the girl in his arms as he walked across the room. The man doubled back, his lips pressing to hers lightly before she found him pulling away and heading out. 

Caster, grinning fondly at the small girl, moved over to the bed now, settling under the sheets at her side and closing his eyes. 

“You like them, don’t you?” 

“You little fool, who would not find their affections taken by two who take so highly after myself? Now we merely have the challenge of ensuring that Archer doesn’t rub off on them greatly.” 

He was rubbing noses with the small infant. 

Hakuno smiled a little and looked at Enki again. 

Teeny, tiny Enki, with his chubby cheeks and bright red eyes. “He has your wrinkles.” 

“I do not have wrinkles.” 

“You do when you snicker.” 

Caster raised a brow at her, still kissing their daughter. “Hakuno. Do you seek to test my good will to its limits this morning or are you thinking yourself funny?” 

“A little of both.” 

He sighed, pausing a moment. 

“Your mother is foolish,” Caster murmured. “She seems to fail to realize that we are needing her to rest and recover.” 

“I am resting.” 

“You’re harassing me.” 

“I’m teasing.” 

Caster hummed, leaning over to pull the baby boy into his arms as well. “You need rest, Hakuno. What you accomplished on your own, in light of all that was happening, is admirable and has gained you a great deal of respect, but I won’t risk your health any further than it has already been risked.” 

“I do want to talk to Berserker when I heal.” 

The man ignored her. 

“Gil?” She tried to lean, but moving in any way that involved her hips was too difficult right now. She merely sighed. “Gil, I want to talk to Berserker.” 

“No.” 

“He is someone that mourns for Enkidu. If we could just get him to see that the world isn’t against him-“

“Hakuno.” Caster glanced over at her. “Do you understand the definition of a berserker? Do you know what that word means?” 

“A berserker is someone that is without reason. Someone that has lost it.” 

He nodded, still watching the two infants. “You wish to speak to someone who is incapable of being reasoned with. While you gave birth alone, the man destroyed our room. Several of the guards claimed to have tried to get in here when they heard the madness begin. Archer saw Enkidu throw the beast from our room.” 

“I think he can be saved instead of burned.” 

“He nearly killed you. Twice.” 

“Gil-“

Caster looked over at her. “Think about this in terms of the two I hold. If one of them were hurt by someone, would you want that someone near them?” 

“If they told me they could save the person, yes.” 

“Hakuno.” 

She needed to talk to him. Just for a moment. She needed to try at least. 

Things felt too neat, too perfect. 

Something in her gut wasn’t sitting right and the best person to talk to was Berserker. 

“The lions are going to want to join,” Caster told her, distracting her from her thoughts. “When you are better rested, I will allow them entry. This is normally a room for when my chambers are being renovated or deep cleaned. Because of that, it’s not a room that has access for them. They have become quite taken with you.” 

“They’re great.” 

Caster nodded. “I will find a crib for the twins as well, since having them in the bed would be unsuitable. They need to be somewhere out of the way of others and safe.” 

Fair. 

A baby could easily roll off the bed or crawl off. 

“Thank you, Gil.” 

“You gave me two children.” Caster closed his eyes, hugging the two to himself lightly. “It is only natural that I provide properly for the two. Archer is even more attached, but his main focus was on your wellbeing. Prostrate yourself properly and care for yourself so that Archer and I are not at odds with one another.” 

They had worked hard to begin getting along. 

“I’ll do my best,” she promised him. 

“And Hakuno?” 

She blinked, finding the man leaning closer. His lips pressed to hers lightly. 

“You are a beautiful mother, fiercer than any lioness that I have ever seen. However, I am not like the lions to merely wait for my woman to return with the carcasses of our enemies. Remain at my side and work with me.” 

“I’m going to,” but she could feel her face flushed from his words. 

“I mean it.” Caster narrowed his gaze a bit. “I will not tolerate you hearing my words and assuming anything other than what I mean. You must speak with me.” 

“I will.” 

“Even when what I have said upsets you.” 

Was this about removing her divine power? 

She had almost forgotten about that until he had said that. She had gotten upset about that, but so much had happened. Being around Berserker and finding him descending into madness had been enough to forgive anything that could have been said. 

She nodded to him, leaning against him as best she could. 

“I love you,” Hakuno murmured to him. 

Which was why she was going to see Berserker the moment she could walk properly. 

She had four people precious to her that she needed to protect. And she had those small moments with Berserker that made her almost think five. 


	26. Into the Viper's Den

Neither of them spoke of the Berserker.

Whether out of respect for what she had gone through, hatred of what he was and who he was, or simply that they did not wish to talk about something unsavory such as what to do with the man that they had trapped within the dungeon; neither Caster nor Archer was speaking of Berserker. 

Hakuno found herself on her feet after a couple days, her body already returning to how it had been before with the help of chasing after Ninsun and Enkidu who seemed to have a tendency of stealing the two infants. Enkidu was only to eager to show off the son while Ninsun was relentless about that daughter. 

With names relating to both of them, it was only too easy to understand where their thought process had come from. 

Hakuno sighed as Enkidu and Ninsun happily took back their choice of babies from her again. The duo grinned happily, Enkidu cooing softly to the infant as Ninsun once more praised her on her handiwork. 

“I couldn’t stand childbirth,” Ninsun told her, nuzzling the baby girl and sitting at her side. “The labor pains were unnecessary and Gilgamesh was a kicker. He forced me to remain in my chambers in the end and I had to keep a chamberpot close like some elder.” She wrinkled her nose before leaning in towards Gula. “But you were good to your mother. You were quiet and sweet. You will grow up and steal every young warrior’s heart. I will show you how. You’ll steal a good king for yourself and it will be fun to watch him squirm like mine did.” 

“Ninsun.” 

The woman waved her off. “Babies need more positive words. You may try, I suppose.” 

She just gave the woman a look before reaching for Gula. 

“I said you could speak,” Ninsun pointed out, pulling away a little. “I’m holding her at present, fool.” 

“She is-.”

“You named her after me,” the woman reminded her. 

“That-“ No, no. It wasn’t even worth the argument. Best not to piss off any gods right now. Ninsun and Enki were protecting the babies. 

“Let me hold him,” Enki complained as Enkidu hurried into the room. 

“He’s the heir.” Enkidu argued back, continuing to play keep away with the infant. 

“Technically the girl came first. Let me hold him.” The creation god complained. 

“Hakuno,” Ninsun leaned in again. She pressed in close, holding the girl up for her perusal. “Compliments. My sons have told me that you’ve hardly said much to the two.” 

“They receive no lack of love from me.” She told her, taking back the boy as Enkidu passed and leaning over to press her lips to the girl’s forehead. 

It wasn’t… 

It wasn’t that she didn’t show love. 

The babies were always in bed with her until Caster came along and shooed Archer away long enough to take the two and put them in their crib. She saw no lack of time with them in the nights and they were quiet. The two simply enjoyed their time with her and with whomever else came. 

Really, she loved the two. 

But her mind flickered back. 

She could hear them crying at times in her head. She woke up at night, sitting up with her hand grabbing Archer or Caster. Her eyes searched for the madman running rampant in the room. Her body waited for a pain like before. She could feel herself stiffen as the world came to once more around her. 

And then her mind…

Her mind kept drifting back to the servant chained up and waiting for someone in the dungeons. There were barely any meals taken down to him, from what she had heard from the servants. Gilgamesh Archer and Caster kept guards around the doors and kept Enkidu’s chains tightly binding him into place down there. 

Who knew what else happened in those dark parts of the palace. 

And a part of her said that she almost needed to be down there as well. 

She’d slaughtered people as well. 

She’d planned what could be called treason by planning to work with Berserker there for a bit. She’d gotten untrusting and had become quite caught up in her newfound divinity. She couldn’t imagine giving up the power now. She understood Ishtar getting her vessel so easily. 

Power was addictive and the fallout was even more deadly than it was for a half-assed mage. 

Looking down at the two babies, she had to tell herself that this was fine. 

She had to persuade herself that this was what her job was at the moment: Care for what she had fought so hard to bring into the world, forget about the fighting and all that happened with berserker, abandon him. 

He’d threatened to break her time and time again. She’d found him on the border of madness time and time again. He’d been a threat of unimaginable stress. 

She had to stop thinking of him like Gilgamesh and start thinking of him as berserker. She needed to cut off what her mind was trying to tell her and face the facts. 

He wasn’t redeemable. He wasn’t someone who could be changed or altered in any manner…

He had stopped merely attacking her though. He’d indulged her, even as he had lost it. 

Her mind flickered back to the fight against the invaders in the farmlands. He had come straight to her then. He’d walked alongside her as she’d dripped blood onto the earth below. 

Abandoning him wasn’t easy. 

Ninsun leaned closer, wrapping an arm around her and telling the two others to leave. She shooed them with words Hakuno missed hearing, waiting until the doors were closed before she was carefully moving to bring the crib in the room over to their side. 

Both babies in, the woman leaned against her lap, watching her. The beautiful blonde goddess that had brought the king into the universe looked up at her and rubbed her knees gently. 

“It is a phase,” she told her. “This sadness you feel, it’s nothing more than your body adjusting. Love your babies more and it will pass quicker.” 

“It’s not about them,” although she needed to try harder. 

“What ails you, my sweet baby?” Ninsun cooed softly. 

“I… I’m worried about Berserker.” 

The woman froze. Her expression became guarded, quiet. 

“They’re going to kill him, aren’t they?” 

Archer and Caster merely were looking for a way to sever the contract that she had with the berserker. Once that was out of the way, there wouldn’t be any saving him. He would be gone and everything would be a memory. 

Was she suffering in some manner? 

Thinking in the way that she did, wanting to try again to stop Berserker on his path towards death. Had Archer known of this, he would have been mocking and teasing her about romanticizing the berserker. He would have been pointing out all the holes in her logic until her logic was merely her wishing for him to be saved. 

Ninsun turned her gaze away a moment, looking to the two babies and shaking her head. 

“My sons must do what they must do. You must recall that the one whom called himself my son did great damage to this world and to all of us. He hurt you.” Those red eyes flickered to hers. “I saw what he put you through and I could not help. I saw how he made you begin to think and I don’t like it. Politics and war… they change people. The arrogant survive and the strong persevere, but there are those who become broken. I don’t know how that beast became broken, but a broken man should be allowed his end. Don’t pity those who race towards Ereshkigal’s arms.” 

“You’re right.” 

But she wasn’t. Ninsun smiling up at her and patting her leg before going to bring the babies over once more; it was all just distraction at this point. Hakuno held onto her son and watched the woman go on about something. Her bright smiles and eager proposals for the twins were met in kind. 

She kept up appearances. 

When the others came, she gladly leaned against Archer and relaxed. The city was repairing itself. A few of the citizens who had become unwilling to remain since the turmoil had chosen to rebuild Ur. They had Caster and Enkidu heading that direction for now to help with the process. 

“Gilgamesh,” Ninsun glanced over at him, but Hakuno merely shook her head. 

She wanted to warn her son about their conversation about Berserker. She didn’t need to do that. Waving her worries off, Hakuno handed little Enki to the king and watched him preen, boasting about the small child. 

And with his boasts and Ninsun’s proposals going to Gilgamesh now, Hakuno waited. 

The night slipped in early, thanks to her divinity. 

The moon was there, but only a sliver. She slipped from the bed, checking on the twins before she snuck from the room. Her feet were quiet, her movements careful and with only the faintest brushing of the fabrics she wore. 

She went down as many stairs as she could find. Deeper and deeper into the palace she went, until she could feel a tingling in her system. Some part of her hesitated at the feeling of being closed in, of being surrounded by nothing but dirt and walls. 

The torchlight was faint, as though someone had not passed through here in quite a while. 

A flicker of blond met her gaze though. 

Two red eyes looked out from behind bars of a dark metallic color. 

“Moon Cell Girl.” 

Hakuno glanced around before sitting on the floor. She had to stop herself from doing something stupid like getting too close or trying to touch the bars. She could see layers of chains on the other side of the cell, but going too close…

He was subdued, but how well? 

“You took long enough.” Berserker stared out at her, those eyes remaining locked with her own. “How long has it been since the two were killed?” 

“They’re sleeping right now in their crib.” 

He nodded faintly. “So they were not mine.” 

“They’re Archer’s.” 

Still his, technically, but she wouldn’t try to persuade him that it wasn’t the handiwork of one of the other versions of himself that had brought the babies about. 

“Well done,” Berserker murmured, closing those eyes and almost becoming one with the surroundings. The darkness cloaked him in the strange room well. Only his hair and his scales gave indication of his presence. They glinted the light from the torch nearby. 

“Well done?” 

“You must be very proud. A mere mage of weak nature, inhuman although treated as one by the gods, managing to hoodwink the great king of Uruk and survive through the very end of the war. You even received souvenirs.” 

“The twins aren’t souvenirs. Their our-“ 

She stopped herself, shaking her head. 

Perhaps Caster had a point about this. Trying to talk sense into Berserker, trying to reach out and do something more, was a useless gesture. He seemed quite happy in his prison. 

“Hakuno.” 

She looked over at him. 

She really should just get back to bed. He didn’t humanize anything. Everything was just a toy, a game, or simply a tool for his own ends. He didn’t understand reality anymore. He didn’t understand the people that looked to him for help. 

“Hakuno,” Berserker leaned forward. Or rather, he seemed to. His hair shifted. The chains clinked on the other side of the cell doors. “You would not have come down here for merely gloating. I would have heard some boast or self-praise.” 

“I have nothing to boast about.” 

His hair glinted as he shifted again. More clinking was coming from the other side of the bars. 

“You did not come here to try to simply free me either. I would be out of this cage if you had. There would have been foolish, sickly sweet words being poured in my direction as she would throw the doors open.” 

“I didn’t come to free you.” Yet. 

She could have winced at that unspoken addition to her words. The romanticizing that she had already done on his behalf needed to stop. Nothing good could come about from catering to his whims and giving in to what she felt for the other versions of him. 

The man’s arms showed as he wrapped his knuckles around the bars of the cell. His head pressed against them as well, those eyes looking at her with a snake-like focus. 

“So, if you do not wish to boast and you do not wish to aid, what purpose brings you to this place? What reason could you have for abandoning your young to visit an enemy?” 

“You aren’t my enemy, Gil.” 

He tilted his head a bit, eyes narrowing. 

“I attacked you.” 

“You came to help me when the invaders came.” 

“I threatened you.” 

“You stopped at the sight of the babies coming into this world.” 

“I could kill you right here, right now.” 

There was something around her neck, something curling around a little tighter as she kept that eye contact. 

“I trust you.” 

“Trust?” He laughed, the sound echoing in the room. “You trust me… and you cannot lie… It makes me wonder what thoughts run through your plain little head.” 

“You won’t kill me.” She could feel the slippery serpent wrapping around her neck. Her eyes had adjusted a bit more to the darkness around them. She could see the chains weren’t holding him. No. It was a collection of snakes. They curled and uncurled, going around the few chains that remained behind those doors. 

He wasn’t trapped. 

He had chosen to remain in here. He was waiting for some reason. 

“What makes you think that I would not kill you? You have openly shown me that you would sleep and provide heirs to another. You have shown foolishness in coming down here. You are too foolish to run and too foolish to die the prideful goddess that you are.” 

“What is your plan?” 

“I have told you my plan, Hakuno.” He waited, watching her. 

“You want to hurt Archer and Caster.” 

“Kill.” 

She nodded. 

“Yet you do not weep and plead with me to spare them. Are they not the ones caring for the younglings that you’ve brought into this world? Did they find fault with them?” 

He asked the second question in an amused voice, making her scowl. 

“Enki and Gula are fine. Spoiled by our friend and our mother.” 

He was running a hand over the bars, one of the serpents running down the bars before him and the metal bubbling. 

Venom. 

She glanced down as he worked, noting the snake wrapped around her closely. 

The berserker was leaning in. 

“They are inhuman, you know. As you are.” 

“I’m aware.” They were perfectly healthy humans. The man was just being difficult. 

“It’s not bad- considering their pedigree… Out of the options, the two will have steady minds and a fair amount of strength. The gods will trust them because of that as well. Gaining access to slaughter them all would become easier.” 

“You aren’t killing the gods.” 

“On the contrary,” Berserker murmured softly to her, leaning in to murmur into her ear. “I am going to kill all of them… all but you. That kind of power in the hands of our blood… there will be no more gods and monsters. The gods will finally truly be inhuman.” 

“Enkidu-“

“Your clay beast will die.” Berserker pulled back, eyes flashing. “They are feral, but another should be easy for one of our two twins to create. I hear that children enjoy building things.” 

Our two twins. 

Hakuno shuddered, unable to help it as a second snake slithered along her person. 

“Give me a bit of time, Hakuno. I will change what fate has decreed.” 

She could hear the sound of running. The man was pulling back, the snakes following after him. A couple ran down where the bars had been burned away, blending in so well that they may have very well been the bars to begin with. The sound of clinking could be heard from Berserker, but the sound of shouting behind her was louder. 

“HAKUNO!” 

Archer. 

She glanced back, finding the two snakes slithering off as the king threw the door open and looked down at her. 

“Mongrel!” 

He said it out of habit, but he was mad. She could see him shaking, his robes and hair in disarray. She hurried over, scrambling the whole way. Her hand wrapped around his and she locked the door with the key that was in the lock. 

It was like that for each door she found. 

She locked it. She handed the key to Archer. She tried to find something to move in front of it. 

“Hakuno, what are you doing?” 

“We need to keep him down there.” 

Whether he could be saved or not was not the point right now. There was more power with him. Something related to the snakes had her nerves on end. Perhaps it had been the venom burning through metal. Perhaps it had been his easy conversation about killing Archer and Caster and Enkidu. 

He wasn’t concerned about the twins. It was perfectly content with them not being from him. 

“Hakuno, you’ll explain why you went down there.” 

“He’s not locked up.” 

Archer stared at her. “Hakuno… Hakuno, Enkidu put the chains around him themselves. There’s no getting out of them.” 

“He’s out of them.” 

“He’s behind bars.” 

“Snakes.” 

Archer pulled her closer, eyes drifting over her face before he pulled her along after him. “…You have been too close to him for too long. You’re panicking. I was warned by Ninsun earlier this evening about this. We’ll go back to Chaldea tomorrow.” 

“Gil-“

“Hakuno.” Archer shook his head at her. “There’s nothing down there that would allow him to escape. The chains would need to be undone over a long period of time. Someone else would have to undo them. He’s trapped.” 

He wasn’t. 

“Tell Caster and Enkidu to be careful. You need to be careful around him too.” 

“I will remain right next to you, fool. I’ll pass along the message if it calms you though.” He was frowning, glancing back at the door as they headed up the stairs. 

“Thank you.” 

“Focus on other things, master. There’s too many treasures for you to focus on filth.” 

There were too many treasures, he was right about that, but she needed to figure out how to heal faster and regain her strength. She needed to be ready. 

She’d have to fight Berserker and she’d have to find a way to either collar him or kill him. 


	27. Slithering Snakes

Hakuno was on edge.

Understandably, but it still had his nerves on end as well. The woman was normally not this out of sorts. Her attention was taking in the details, her person was close to the babies when they returned to their room. 

It was good for her to be close to them. They were in need of her attention and care, but this…

“You’re sure about rayshifting?” 

Archer glanced over at the two, nodding. “Yeah, Hakuno was losing her mind last night. Said Berserker got loose.” 

Caster glanced at Enkidu, earning a shake of the head. 

“I know,” he told them. “I know. The chains cannot be broken so easily.” 

But saying that and testing that were two very different things. The woman had been through an ordeal and needed guidance right now. Distance and time would ease her down. 

“We will look into how to sever Hakuno from Berserker and then return,” Caster told him, earning another nod. 

The caster wouldn’t appreciate having things this way, but they both knew that Hakuno needed to be a focus here. Too much time and distance had made her divine. Too much stress had driven her to extremes. He could still feel her tense when he touched her. He could see her eyes waiting for the next catastrophe to come. 

Had his mother not awakened him, he was quite sure that Berserker could have probably persuaded her to pull him free of the chains. 

Charisma was not great when it was his own working against him. 

“Your mother is going to sob,” Enkidu told them both, leaning back. 

“My mother?” Archer rolled his eyes. “We’re both lucky that Hakuno awakened to feed the twins this morning, otherwise we would have Enki here in your arms.” 

“I’ve pretty much adopted him,” the being agreed. 

“Enkidu, you cannot adopt a child that is already in the possession of their parents.” 

“I’m just back up spouse to Hakuno.” Enkidu grinned. “It’s a great position. She and Shamhat get along nicely as well. It will only be for the best to ensure my two wives become accustomed to one another.” 

Archer exchanged a look with Caster. 

Did they need to address this? 

“It would be best,” Caster told them, “if Hakuno leaves before the sun fully rises. Best to let her and the twins leave before our dear parent comes stalking the ziggurat for her grandbabies.” 

“We’ll leave in the next hour.” 

From there, he would settle Hakuno in his chambers and have the others begin being overbearing. Infants in Chaldea would be interesting. There were child servants who would probably get intrigued by the two. The other older servants were often parents in some capacity. 

Yes, between the two groups, Hakuno would be caught up in the fanfare. 

They’d be back to where they had been before all this in perhaps a month, two…

“We’ll meet with you once things are improved,” Caster told him. 

“Right.” 

Such words were simplistic, leaving him with the task of informing Hakuno. 

He moved through the halls quietly, watching the sun slowly rising over the horizon. It glazed the top of the buildings in a glimmer of light. It darkened the streets below, leaving him to turn his gaze away. 

He could hear a soft murmuring as he pushed the door to the room open. 

Hakuno was sitting up, pressed against the cushions of their bed. The two wiggling newborns were in her arms. 

What an odd change for his chambers. 

It was still fresh in his mind to see a collection of women and men strewn about his bed, nude to the eye and pleading like the mongrels they were. From that to an empty expanse of bed, where a woman was busy cooing and murmuring to his children; he wasn’t sure what to think. 

“You’re back.” 

“Caster and Enkidu were talking to me,” he replied, moving closer only to pause. 

Those brown eyes glanced over at him, a scowl coming to her features. 

“…What’s wrong?” 

“Stay still.” 

The gates would make too much sound. The ingrate was too close, probably quick enough to do what it needed to do. 

No. 

His hand was grabbing at the dagger against his back. His chin lifted a bit, eyeing an effective way to do this. 

Slowly, carefully…

He could see those crimson colored eyes, the second set of eyelids flickering over that gaze. The tongue was out, the lightly bobbing head turning to him a little more. 

Too close to the infant girl to allow him to use the gates. 

Too close to Hakuno for him to lunge at. 

“Hakuno, close your eyes.” 

She followed his direction, thank the gods. 

His dagger met its target, launching the snake against the wood headboard. 

“Wha-“ “Not yet,” he told her. 

He moved forth, pulling the thing from the bed and heading for the doors. He opened them quickly, handing the weapon and serpent to one of the guards. 

“Tell Caster to investigate this chamber for ways a snake could slither in,” he instructed. He turned, but the guard hissed. 

Glancing back, he paused at the sight of the thing managing to slither off. 

The guard held onto his hand, paling. 

The thing had survived a direct blow. 

It had played dead, humored him. 

The other guard stared at the dying man in alarm, glancing over at him. 

“…Tell Caster my instructions and have someone take care of the mess in front of this door. Quietly.” He didn’t need the woman inside to know of this. 

He’d seen snakes on his way down to find Hakuno. 

This was a second instance. The venom from these things were enough to bring a hearty man to his knees and towards his death in a matter of seconds. 

It was dangerous to be here. 

There was probably something to Hakuno’s concerns in regards to Berserker. 

“Gilgamesh?” 

He glanced back at the woman, watching her look to him in concern. He was getting tired of that scowl. 

“There was a useless bug in the bed,” he told her, closing the doors as other guards came to collect the dead body now. He moved over to her side and grinned at her and the twins. “Enkidu and Caster made the suggestion for us to go back to Chaldea for now.” 

“What about goddess duties?” 

“Having slight divinity means nothing in the end, Hakuno, except a bit more power. We’ll take the twins back and boast about them to the other servants.” 

“You’re going to harass them about the twins?” 

“Are you not proud of them as well?” He settled onto the bed beside her, grinning. “Gudako is being useless right now. Da Vinci was talking to Caster about it earlier. You are also acting senselessly. We could resolve both problems by making you both pay attention to my treasures.” 

“They’re not treasures.” 

“Oh no?” 

Archer lifted the boy up, holding him close to her. 

“Look closely at this one. There’s enough mana here to make the useless mages that Gudako works for weep. There’s enough strength promising to come from this boy that the servants in Chaldea will find themselves left behind.” 

“Gil, be careful with Enki.” 

She took their son from his hands, but she was settling. 

“He could probably slaughter Faker already.” 

“Don’t be mean to Emiya.” 

“Imagine him, already on his knees from the boy simply grabbing his finger.” 

“You’re exaggerating,” she sighed. Yet there was a small grin forming. He was influencing her after all. He leaned in closer. 

“Gula bites his ankle and he’s unable to walk for a month.” 

“She doesn’t even have teeth yet, Gil.” 

“She could do it. Do not hinder the capabilities of our children.” 

It might be a bit strange, but she could manage it. If they both focused, they could take down opposition. They would need to mind their mother though. 

“I worried for a moment there, when you told me to close my eyes,” Hakuno murmured to him, pulling both the infants close. “I thought there may have been a snake.” 

“Hmm?” 

She shook her head, smiling a little more. “Nevermind. Going to Chaldea doesn’t sound like a bad idea. It might be nice to get away from here for a while.” 

He would need to leave warning with Caster. 

Snakes. 

Their other self had some tricks up his sleeve yet. 

“I did make an agreement,” he told her. “Ramses would like to gaze upon the two when we are available. He has had a lot of children in his time, but it has been some time since he was able to hold a child in his arms. It seems he’s weak to the opportunity.” 

“That’s fine.” 

“I imagine those former servants of yours will wish to see them too.” 

“Nero and the others probably will. Nero was very upset that we could never have children when I was her master. She would have liked this.” 

But she chose a better servant. She’d upgraded herself and was all the better for it. 

“Do not forget whose side you reside at,” he purred, leaning in. He tilted her chin so that she faced him better. He leaned in closer, hovering just at the edge of her personal space and no space at all. “You have made your decision in regards to servants.” 

She leaned in and he grinned into the embrace. 

Good. 

She understood quite well where her place was. 

He took the two twins the moment their lips broke, allowing her to get up for herself and dress. His eyes glanced over the room once more, his mind returning back to the problem before. 

The room he had chosen had no windows. 

There were no vents in this room, merely two doors with guards stationed on the other side. The cracks under the door would have made a dark snake like that obvious. Unless it had come during the night. 

But that would mean that he had missed it. 

Between his keen attention and the guards, he was betting for the guards. 

“Gilgamesh?” 

He blinked, glancing over at Hakuno. 

The woman was pulling her hair free from her clothing, moving over to his side to take back the twins. “Do you think we can get something to eat still at Chaldea? It may be late for breakfast.” 

“You ask senseless questions again. Hakuno, do not waste my time.” 

They’d make her food if he had to drag that useless Faker into the kitchens to cook. 

She was moving with more purpose now though. He held the boy in his arms still, leading her through the halls and towards the throne room. 

Everything was quiet again. The servants and the advisors quiet in their discussions. 

Caster glanced over from the throne, grinning. 

“I see you’re already up, Hakuno.” 

“I beat Ninsun,” Hakuno pointed out. 

“You did. We should get you and the twins moved before she realizes where her grandbabies are going. She won’t be pleased to find that they have eluded her careful eye.” 

No, she wouldn’t. 

The world around them was soon gone though, a final hug and affection going to Caster and Enkidu before they were gone. 

Steel walls were once more around them. 

The humming of fans was slowing, lowering in sound. 

“LITTLE MASTER OF URUK!” 

Ah, he should have guessed. 

A snickering came as the doors to the chamber were thrown open. A whirl of white fabrics and gold flashed before them as the pharaoh stalked towards them. 

“There are the young children! Allow me to see! As the god of the very sun, I shall give them my full blessing!” 

How amusing. 

“Careful,” Hakuno warned him, her arms awkwardly trying to keep Gula safe as the pharaoh pulled the infant into his arms. 

“Look at this!” Ozymandias grinned proudly at the child. “Ah, but she reminds me of the children from my Nefertari. So tiny. So strong.” 

He was turning away. 

“Ozy!” 

“I must show Nitocris and the others!” 

“Ozy! Don’t just run off with her!” 

“King of Heroes! Join me in showing off these two!” 

Well, if they were merely going to be pointing out how he was in possession of something none of the other servants would be able to have…

“Gil, we should get something to eat first-“

“We can have something brought,” he told her. “Pharaoh, are the others upright?” 

“They are comforting Gudako in the lounge.” 

Excellent. 

Hakuno could build herself a new goal then: Comforting Gudako. 

With that and the twins, they would be fine. 

She was not enjoying following after them though. She hovered between them, going back and forth and trying to take one of the two back. 

She should have had a third if that was what she wanted. 

Then again, a third would have meant that Enkidu would have been torn about who not to hold when Hakuno was asleep. 

“SERVANTS!” Ozymandias threw the lounge door open now. “BEHOLD INFANTS!” 

“Oh?” 

There was the Roman, bouncing to her feet the moment the door was open and the declaration was given. Her green eyes were on their arms, hurrying forward and gasping. 

“They’re so tiny! Little mini praetors! Please-“

“Do not be fooled,” Ramses warned her rightly. “My fellow king and I are holding the two.” 

“Your hold is average,” Raikou purred from nearby. She was climbing to her feet, moving over to them. “Allow me to show you a proper way to hold them.” 

“PRAETOR!” 

“Guys!” Hakuno pushed himself and Ramses towards the couch nearby. “Please! The babies just got tired and everything was too loud! Please quiet down!” 

Better. 

Much better. 

Gilgamesh tugged her down, settling her between himself and the pharaoh. The child in his arms went to her, being settled into the crook of her arm. 

“Ah, I knew you would make a wonderful parent,” Nero cooed. 

“You knew?” 

The fox was quite annoying popping up like that. 

“My husband and I were meant to have babies! The golden archer just beat me to the task!” 

“Hakuno, you know Gilgamesh may not be best to have around the two if you would like silence,” Nero pointed out. 

“He’s too loud,” Tamamo agreed. 

“They are from me as well, mongrels!” 

Were they looking at the twins with pity now?! 

A loud laugh was coming from not too far away though, dragging their attention over to the curled up redhead and the King of Conquerors at her side. 

“How amusing! So you have not only welcomed a woman, you’ve had children as well?” 

He gave a shrug, throwing the man a knowing look. 

When one found something interesting, they conquered and coveted. 

The King of Conquerors would understand that. 

“Gudako…”

Hakuno was distracted. The harpies hovering around her were bothersome, but a warning needed to be given about the snakes in Uruk. 

“I’m going to check to ensure that Ninsun does not lose her mind over the infants,” he told the brunette. “Cease your concerns and see to the other useless contractor. I intend to fight with Iskander later.” 

He hadn’t, but now it was sounding appealing. 

Perhaps a game or two with Ramses later as well. 

There were a lot of good ideas he could partake in here. 

Nero was in his seat the moment he was up. Tamamo was taking the head of the couch, sprawling herself across it so she could look down at the babies. 

Ozymandias was laughing and talking to the other rider as he left. 

He had his phone out and to his ear in an instant. 

“Settled in already?” 

“Hakuno is seeing to Gudako,” he told the clay being as they answered. “What news is there in Uruk?” 

“The guards are dropping. A snake problem developed and we’ve lost four, excluding the one you saw.” 

Too many for pure coincidence. 

“Has anyone checked on Berserker?” 

“Caster and I are heading down that way now.” 

“Bring more power with you.” 

“Don’t think we can handle him?” 

“I’ll find Cu Berserker and King Hassan if I must.” 

The being went quiet a moment, letting out a small sigh. 

“Hakuno does not worry that senselessly.” 

“Send ‘em.” 

That was surprising. The being normally-

“There’s a bunch of snakes rattling in the other room leading down to the berserker’s dungeon cell…” 

He was convening with nature for his escape. 

Gilgamesh glanced towards the window, watching the snow filled world outside the facility. 

It was best that he had gotten Hakuno out of Uruk. 

She would have been panicking or trying to plan something at the news of this. While they would have worked side by side, she would have been filled with that useless worry of hers. 

No, it was best this way. 

“I’ll send the two.” 

“Gil?” 

“What is it?” 

The other end of the line went quiet a moment. 

“Enkidu?” 

“I can’t sense Berserker, Gil. It feels like his power is in the other room… but I can’t feel him. I don’t sense any presence in the other room.” 

His hand lowered, eyes drifting back to the room he’d just left. 

The other servants were in there with Hakuno. 

She and the twins would be fine, but…

“Do you think he found a way to get to Chaldea?” 

“Caster rayshifted earlier.” 

Caster was cursing in the background. 

“There was a slight problem and the room was filled with smoke,” Enkidu told him. “It was a blown fuse. They fixed it before you and Hakuno left.” 

Berserker was back in Chaldea then. 

They had just brought their problem to a new realm. 

“Call Da Vinci and get here,” he told them. “We’re going hunting.” 


	28. Molotov

They escorted her back to Archer’s room when it was late and she started yawning. Slowly, painfully, they had dragged Gudako out of her reverie, getting her to participate in seeing the babies. At her side, Ozymandias had refused to do so much as move an inch from her. His arms were now filled with her son, the man’s lips pressing repeatedly to the boy and his words overly praising her on her efforts.

“Two children. You are truly divine, Hakuno.” 

“They’re very well behaved,” she replied easily. 

It was hard to stay on edge. Despite the fear trickling just at the edge of her senses, she couldn’t say that she was as panicked here as she had been in Uruk. It would be hard for the man to make it here. They’d have to rayshift and Berserker wasn’t aware of the details of that. 

They were safe. For now. 

“They are perfect. As close as one could hope to get to my sweet Nefertari’s babies. You should take great pride in them while they are young. They grow up before you know it and they’re gone from your grasp just as quickly.” 

“It’s hard to take too much pleasure,” Hakuno told him, pausing in the doorway to Gil’s room. Gudako was already heading away. Raikou at her side. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Berserker.” 

Ozymandias nodded a bit, his face falling. 

“The man cannot come here. Without you to support him in Uruk, he will be trapped.” 

That was true. She may have to call Caster and Enkidu back for the time being. Maybe… maybe if she wasn’t there, he could just fade away. 

That felt too easy though. 

“Archer?” 

Hakuno looked around the room, frowning. 

Nothing. 

Perhaps he was communicating with Caster and Enkidu right now. Probably for the best, they would need all the help they could get. 

“Let him work,” Ozymandias told her. “Do you need company? A pharaoh does not leave a mother alone-“

“I’ll be okay. I just want to rest with the babies close.” 

Ozy still remained with her a while though, insisting on a story. 

“A young mind starts learning in the cradle. If your king will not be here for this, then I shall teach your babies the way of the pharaohs!” 

He told a story alright. 

The man continued on and on, his voice seeming to echo around the room as he went. The babies were gone, asleep to all the world and probably to remain that way until they were fully rested. As for herself…

She should have been exhausted. 

She should have passed out. 

Ozymandias stopped, bidding her a good night’s rest and heading out of the room. The door was locked behind him as he left. 

Yes, she should have gone straight to sleep after he rambled on about the gods of Egypt, but she didn’t feel tired. 

Something was still off. 

Or it was like Archer had said where she was simply hunting for trouble. When was the last time she had calmed down? When was the last time she had slept fully through the night? She had gone through trauma. She had undergone pain that a lot of others would never experience. 

She climbed under the bedsheets and pulled the crib closer to the bed to keep an eye on the babies. 

Rest. 

It was time to rest. 

She could get back to being relaxed. 

Hakuno was sure of that. Given enough time and enough effort, she would be able to go straight to sleep. She would have a nice, sound sleep. 

There was a small sound coming from the vents to the room. 

Gil’s bathroom sink was dripping. 

The fountain was too loud in his room. 

She’d go to Caster’s room. It was a better option for her anyway. The man hated noise when he was trying to work. 

“Come on, babies.” Hakuno pulled the crib along, heading out of Archer’s room. 

The hallway lights had been dimmed for now. The outside world was a glittering snow scene. The moon was high and it was full. A wonderful, peaceful world was around her with no real issues happening at the moment. 

She needed to ease back like the world had and let the peace sink in. 

“Heading to bed?” 

Gil’s voice. 

“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep in your room. I was going to Caster’s to sleep,” Hakuno told him. 

“I’ll walk you there.” 

He must have sensed that she was still anxious. She couldn’t think of any other reason that the man would simply back down about this. 

“How have the babies been?” 

“They went straight to sleep the moment that Ozy started talking about Egyptian gods. I think they have your attention span for the gods… although I can’t say that I particularly remember anything that the pharaoh went on about.” 

She laughed a little. 

“Stressed?” 

Oh, she didn’t want to look at him as she nodded. “I know what you said. I’m working on it. I’ll destress over time. I’ll feel better once Enkidu and Caster are back though.” 

“You don’t need them back.” 

Because her health couldn’t wait that long. He was shrewd at times. 

It was a fair thing to say too. Caster and Enkidu needed to figure out what to do about a servant that had been given far too much initial power and was bolstered by her mana. And, while she had a hard time with him, looking into his face and seeing that he was another Gilgamesh made it impossible to kill him. Especially when he was lucid and speaking with that reason and charisma of his. 

“I don’t need them back,” Hakuno agreed, “but that doesn’t change anything. I like having all of you close. I feel less than comfortable when one of you is too far away and in danger. We’re a team, aren’t we?” 

“I see…”

“I think that’s probably what hurt me the most about… He just wanted to kill all of you.” 

“We won’t let that happen.” 

No, they wouldn’t. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her face at his words. 

Caster’s bedroom came up all too soon. Hakuno opened the door and felt the man’s lips press against her neck. He seemed to be keeping a little distance to let her have some air. 

“Watch over the babies and rest, Hakuno. You look far more beautiful when you smile.” 

She nodded, moving into the bedroom and closing the door before she paused. 

Archer had just called her beautiful. 

But Archer was stepping out of Caster’s closet, checking the edge of Caster’s axe. 

Hakuno glanced back at the door, her heart racing. 

They hadn’t escaped the problem at all. 

“He’s here.” 

Archer looked up, glaring at her. “What are you doing outside of my room?” 

“I couldn’t sleep.” Hakuno glared over at him. “I just got escorted here by Berserker.” 

“You saw him?!” 

No, she hadn’t, but…

It wouldn’t have been Caster. Caster would have corrected her if he had been here. He wouldn’t have spoken of himself in the third person like that. 

“Hakuno,” Archer pulled her deeper into the room. “You need to stay here.” 

“He’s still close.” 

Now that she was feeling for it, she could feel him moving through Chaldea. 

“You need to stay in here,” Archer repeated. 

“Why?” 

He just gave a nod at the babies. 

“Where’s Caster and Enkidu?” 

“They were supposed to arrive an hour ago. I haven’t been able to find them yet and Shamhat says that they already left for here. She saw them go herself. I imagine they just decided to begin the search themselves.” 

Hunt. 

There wasn’t anything about this that was a search. 

“We should tell the rest of Chaldea-“

“We did that before. The whole place goes insane and they’ll try to attack myself and Caster again, thinking we’re the berserker.” Archer opened the door and glanced back at her. “Leave this to myself, Caster, and Enkidu.” 

“Alright.” 

He kissed her quickly before leaving. 

Caster and Enkidu had been here an hour. 

Berserker had safely escorted her across the facility without anyone interfering…

He was rather confident that they wouldn’t run into anyone. Enkidu had a talent for sensing presences around them too. There was no way that the being wouldn’t have found them. 

Hakuno glanced at the babies again. 

Oh, but this was a bad plan. 

She moved them quietly over to the other side of the bed, pausing at the sight of the vent. 

Berserker had snakes. 

Well then. 

She hurried over to the closet and grinned, seeing the galaxy colored being snoozing away in the depths of the closet. 

Caster hated when they got in, but they always did. 

Who better to look after the babies than a wild sphinx? 

She pulled the little cat beast into her arms and moved the babies apart a little, setting the cat down in between. 

The twins simply dozed. 

For added measure, she moved the babies into the bathroom and lowered the cradle to near floor level. If it upturned, then the babies wouldn’t fall. If the snakes got in, they would have to slither through the bathroom door or beneath the crack at the bottom of the door. Either way, it would wake up the sphinx. 

Heading to Caster’s closet next, Hakuno grabbed one of his tomes. 

She paused from simply leaving. 

The man had kept a few of Gudako’s toys. 

Caster’s belt was a good holder fot them. The oil and gasoline swished a bit in the bottles, the fabric sticking out the top dangling a bit. She stuffed the lighter into her belt as well. 

She may not need them, but they might be useful. 

Hakuno locked the bathroom and taped the key under the desk. 

She hurried out the door. 

The man’s thing was snakes alright. 

Opening the door to the first servant’s room she found, she could see them passed out. A snake was lying nearby. 

Next room? Same deal. 

The snakes hissed in her direction, climbing slowly from the bed and coming towards her. 

Her pace was picked up, her mind was running through options. 

The tome was good for basic attacks, but she needed the snakes out. 

She threw doors open, banging her hand on the walls and watching the snakes slither after her. She wasn’t sure what they had been hoping for with her, but they were following. 

The base had no real dead ends. 

So she ran. 

As fast and as much as possible. She threw door after door open, ignoring the pain running through her again from overexertion. She watched the crowd of snakes grow larger, heading towards the rayshift room. 

She could sense Berserker in the rayshift with Archer. She could feel the mana discharge as she drew closer. 

The waves of scales and slithering behind her was catching up. 

Hakuno threw the door open, letting it bang loudly and sprinting through the room. 

She pulled the lighter from her belt, pulling one of the bottles out and lighting it up. 

The explosion was enormous. 

Gudako had a talent for the pyrotechnics, that was a fact. The blaze hit the rafters, busting several of the fans and sending both Gils back to avoid the blow. 

But the snakes were still coming in. Hakuno pulled another bottle and let it rip, watching the bottle explode on impact with the floor. 

More of the snakes were burning. 

Fire. 

Fire was the weakness that they had needed. 

“ARCHER!” 

Archer looked down at her from his place of safety. 

“I NEED A TORCH FOR LIGHTING ON FIRE! BERSERKER’S WEAK TO FIRE!” 

There was a roar from nearby. 

Archer opened the gates, but a handful of snakes rained down in his direction. A blast hit all too close to where Archer was, a blast that was definitely from the Gates. Hakuno rushed back, pulling out another bottle. 

She only had five and she threw the third at the mound of snakes still trying to enter the chamber with them. 

The walls had been busted open on that side of the room. 

The roar of the fire and the smoke filling the room would make it impossible to simply remain here for long. 

Hakuno grabbed another-

A hand yanked her belt off, making the last two bottles fall and shatter on the floor. She could feel her body being pulled into the man’s arms and Caster’s tome being thrown aside. 

“You try my temper,” the beast breathed. She could hear Archer roaring nearby, but the world began to swim. A snake moved from her shoulder. 

“Berserker…”

“You do not want to lose them. I found an alternative.” He leaned in. “I will simply allow you to enjoy them close. Unable to piss me off.” 

No…

“Gil,” she breathed. 


	29. Snake and Hound, Steel and Venom

The moment he had gone to the rayshift room, he could tell that things weren’t going to work out the way he had planned.

Never did, but one didn’t need to be careful about planning. There was something to be said for spontaneity. 

Hakuno getting into the hands of his other self wasn’t in the plans though. 

The molotovs were clever. 

The fires were burning strong, giving off an offputting scent throughout the place. 

He could see the way that his other self was holding Hakuno. He could see the way that the snake-like bastard was thinking he was going to win this. 

This was his domain. 

That was his woman. 

Too long he’d allowed these other selves to rule. Diminished in power, the man had gone for cowardly route, relying on serpents. He was trickling bits of his mana into them, most likely. There was no reason that they would have so easily have followed orders otherwise. 

The man didn’t think of a prey’s natural predator. 

Gilgamesh opened the gates again, grinning proudly as his own beastly ally stepped through. 

“A wolf.” 

Lobo. 

The wolf roared, gaze narrowing as the man took a step back and laughed. 

He could laugh, that would be permitted. Fools were always welcomed to think themselves untouchable. They were allowed to think themselves something more than they were. 

But they would die in the end. 

A few of the snakes were moving. Archer jumped down from the beams above, watching the man set Hakuno aside. The man’s gaze was meeting his own as he did. He kept his body prepared. He kept his focus on him. 

“Hand to hand,” Archer growled. 

“How pathetic,” the doppelganger purred, smirking at him. The scales reflected off the firelight. “Even after given the news that fire would be harmful-“

“I do not need weaknesses to defeat you. The far more suitable me shall be successful here. I don’t need to know how to kill you to remove you from my sight.” 

“You’re no better than your hound.” 

Spoken like a useless double. 

The man’s scales gleamed, his body lunged forward. That golden hair hit his face as he caught the man’s hands with his own. He let his armor materialize, his eyes focusing in on the man before him. 

The claw like hands dug into his own when the man lunged forward to grab him. Those nails dug into his skin like fangs. 

The man’s face snarled at him, spitting acidic words his direction. 

Archer threw him back. 

His armored feet kicked forward, aiming at his gut and lower. 

He threw the man with those hands that sought to wound his own, throwing the body over his own. 

He could hear the man’s clawlike fingers screeching across the floors. He could see the hatred building. The man was lifeless, a faker in the truest sense of the word. 

What useless thoughts had built this being? What kind of sick thoughts had come to build this man? 

Berserker was lunging forward though, jumping at the last minute. 

He felt the fangs the moment that the thing lunged his way. He could feel the rush of adrenaline, the room beginning to spin a bit. 

He yanked the infernal pest from his neck, raging. 

“WHAT HAPPENED TO HAND TO HAND?!” 

The shadows were dancing around him. 

He couldn’t last long like this. Caster had been passed out when he had found the man. The other servants had been the same way, all but Lobo, who had been cornered at the time that Gilgamesh had found him. 

“What a fitting end,” the other’s voice called out. “My woman didn’t want to lose all of us, now she can have us all.” 

Where… 

Where was he? 

“She can rest her head against you and your other self, indulge in your presences without you hindering my plans.” 

He wouldn’t end up being a doll to this beast. 

Archer whistled, feeling the brush of fur against his side. He lost the armor, climbing onto the wolf. 

His hands reached into the gates, pulling one of his swords out. 

He could see the world, but it was a blaze of fire. 

The heat was pressing against his cheeks, warming his temper to a boil. He could feel the rage kindled and crackling with the flames. The bastard had been alive for too long. He had breathed in air that was unfit for his body for too long. 

It was time to slit the length of a snake’s body. 

The laughter was dancing around him. 

He could see smoke around him, creating a shifting in the world around them. The only thing that kept him alive, kept him grounded, was this beast beneath him. The cool feel of the metal plates and armor he had tossed onto the wolf juxtaposed the feel of the heat around them. The sparks glinted off the metal plates. 

“I must congratulate you,” the berserker sang. “You are proving to be more interesting than even the others.” 

“Lobo,” Archer growled to the beast, closing his eyes to the world around him. “Lobo, aim me towards him and howl. Repay me my sparing you from death by aiding me in this.” 

A gruff woof met his ears. 

“You think you can beat a snake with a wolf,” Berserker announced, “you think you are suitable for what belongs to me? I will not falter. I will not back down. I went to the underworld and I denied the goddess herself. I found the snake in the land of the gods and I learned from it, accepting the wrath against the gods for myself. I will not rest. I will not falter. I will destroy this world and all those connected. I will rebuild it in my own designs. There will be no safe harbor for the weak. There will be no place to hide from my gaze and my knowledge. All shall be like the woman that you found: unable to hate me, unable to defy me. They will all gaze upon me with the same need and desires that your woman has for me!” 

He wouldn’t have a hair still in existence when Archer finished with him. 

Opening his eyes again, Archer nudged at the sides of the wolf, letting the hound move them forward. 

The smoke was thickening around them. The flames were going to expand through the building. 

He needed to hurry this. 

He needed to get Hakuno and he needed to set off a fire system. 

Slithering lines were coming at them, but the hound holding him was lunging forth, biting and shaking the bodies that he could catch. 

Archer slung the sword around, finding the leg of the beast in the smoke and flames. 

His hand was getting slick. Archer tightened his grip on his sword. 

Everything was in motion. It was a sea of darkness with specks of stars around them. The sparks grew before dying off before his eyes, attempting to distract him. 

His lungs filled with the corrupted air. His veins clogged with the corrupted bite’s venom. 

Longer. 

He needed to last longer. He pressed his sword to his leg, cutting into his skin. 

Lobo whined, finding the floor and backstepping, his head leaning back to bat at him. The wolf was smelling the blood in the air. He was knowing what was going on, but he didn’t understand why. 

“Find him,” Archer demanded. 

Gilgamesh opened his gates. 

He had to. 

The smoke was rising. There needed to be some kind of ventilation. The fires were going down the halls now. 

His young were in this building. The others were going to be killed if he waited too long to act. 

And Hakuno was in here. 

He squeezed his eyes shut before calling upon more of Hakuno’s mana, looking forth to see her. 

Berserker was moving her to a secluded corner. He had his own Gates opened, freeing her from the smoke and the filth. 

Archer reached up, reaching into the gates and pulling down another of his more cherished weapons. 

Enough. 

His blades of Enki would provide him the edge that he needed. 

His slammed the swords together, forming his bow as he watched the man. He pulled for as much mana as he could safely pull from his woman. 

Berserker watched him, those eyes hyperfocused. 

He would leap. 

With the moment that the arrow would take to strike, the beast would be leaping. 

“Lobo.” Archer tightened his legs around the wolf. “Attack.” 

The wolf howled, bounding forward. The wolf’s body threatened to drop him. He lowered himself, preparing for the right moment. 

Berserker darted to the left. 

That beast’s body was almost slithering through the smoke and clouds. He leaped up, bouncing onto the beams one after another. 

Lobo followed right after him. 

They would not fall, Archer demanded himself to know. 

There was no falling for the king of heroes. There was no faltering for him. 

He was the damned king of Uruk. 

He was the one who had saved the woman down below from deletion. 

He was the means to which Uruk had found salvation. 

His name was the one that was repeated through the halls of time. It was his name that was murmured like a prayer in the land of the gods. Arrogance at that fact was a natural right. Failure was an impossibility for him. 

“You cannot win!” 

Berserker’s voice was coming from all around them. The venom was taking more of an effect. The objects all around them were tripling before his eyes. He looked down at Lobo and found three heads, all snarling amongst the flames of the underworld. 

A little longer. 

He just needed a little longer. 

“When I stop you,” Berserker vowed. “When you fall like all the other poor divinely created bastard copies of me, yours will be the head that I sever and leave at the gates to Uruk. Yours will be the head that I set upon a spear as I descend to Ereshkigal’s gates to destroy the very essence of your soul. I will make you see the very fear in your eyes as death sets in.” 

It would not be his head that rested upon that spear. 

He wouldn’t be the one to die in this place. 

The man would be seeing his end. 

“You. Will. Die.” 

He punctuated the statement, giving him the countdown that Archer needed. 

He drew back the string and shot forth the arrow, listening to the celestial sound of the beast being struck. The roar that rose over the lights of the fire made his blood sing in his veins. 

“Lobo! Attack!” 

Lobo howled again, lunging forth. He grabbed the his neck and lowered himself to the hound’s back. He could feel the wolf snag Berserker’s arm, tearing at it. 

The smell of blood rose in the room. He could see scales reflecting off the floor. 

Lobo had ripped skin from the beast’s arm. 

“You think you can beat me!” 

The blowhard was too noisy. 

Did he talk this much when he fought? 

No, he’d never been like this. 

A flash of glinting color swiped before his face, bringing a wail from Lobo and throwing their bodies back. Archer could feel his body slide across the floor, his eyes going straight before the fire nearby. 

He could feel his skin sweating. He could feel the excessive heat licking at his skin. 

“I should have killed you and your others when I had arrived,” Berserker roared. “I should have taken the opportunity to ensure that you would not have gotten to here. I’ve had enough of these games.” 

He split Enki back in two, waiting. He could hear the man getting closer. 

“Do you think I would simply let you live? Do you think that I would actually allow you to live when I breathe? There is one Uruk. A fake like you cannot hope to live in my world, to breathe my air. Your life’s work is done. You have given me the seeds to which I can build the future world and rulers with. I will take the woman and her cubs for my own because they belong to me.” 

The venom was making him see things. 

He was imagining Hakuno in the flames, her eyes looking his way. 

The smoke was billowing before his gaze. 

Deletion. 

His blood was running cold. His hands tightening on his weapon until he could feel his nails in his skin. 

Focus. 

Hakuno could not be deleted here. 

She could not die here. Would not die here. 

“You have been alive too long,” Berserker declared as something wrapped around his leg, moving up his body. 

He lunged back, slamming both blades into the beast’s shoulder. 

Wrong shoulder, it was the opposite that would have given him access to the beast’s beating heart. The pain was immeasurable. The scream that tore from his lips was running through the air. Archer laughed at the agony he saw before his eyes, the world dancing. There was a storm of smoke and fire moving around him. He couldn’t think or see straight. 

His body was torn away from him. Only one of the blades coming back with him. 

He tried to land on his feet, but Archer felt the pain lance through his legs. 

“LOBO! ATTACK!” 

The hound coalesced from the darkness with a ghostly two bodies, that white-blue fur smudged with soot and dirt. Those jaws grabbed at the beast’s neck, tearing skin. 

“USELESS BEAST!” 

The wolf was thrown over the fires, the snakes lunging after the wolf to slay the hound. 

He would live. 

They were both determined on slaughtering this snake. 

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” 

Archer watched the three headed beast heading for him. 

The center one was the real one. 

His half of Enki slammed forward, clashing against its other half. 

“I will send your soul to everlasting death,” Berserker raged. “You will burn in the same hell that Enkidu was condemned to live in, abandoned by your gods.” 

“Enkidu lives with me here.” Archer snarled back. “As does Hakuno and what all that is mine do. You are nothing more than an arrogant, useless half breed mongrel!” 

And as for his gods, Hakuno was his god.


	30. Maiden Moonlight

He was beyond talking about this anymore.

Archer could feel his leg going numb. He could feel a chill coming over his limbs. Darkness was swirling in, billowing and flowing like the currents of the Euphrates. He could feel it all in his bones, as close as a lover. 

War was not a happenstance, it was an experience. It was something that took over the body and the soul, severed them from where they had begun, blowing the instincts to a heightened level that one couldn’t come down from. 

Not easily anyway. 

He spun half his blades Enki, watching for a sign of the gold in the smoke around him. 

The beast and him were on equal levels. 

Unfortunately, they were evenly matched now. He couldn’t open the gates when he was this deprived of energy. His systems were shutting down one by one, leaving him to push his limits. 

The swirling back was not helping. 

He needed to be able to see what was going on. He needed to be able to see the area. 

Lights. 

His hands went to his fabrics, cursing as he ripped the fabric and wrapped it around his wounded leg. He saw something slither. He stomped immediately. 

The noise pissed him off. 

The fires. 

There had to be something he could use to burn. He would use the light of the fire to guide his way. The smoke would be moving. He could see the snake before the snake saw him. 

The smoke was getting bad though. He was seeing the world shiver too much though. 

Hakuno needed to leave here. 

The foolish woman was going to never hear the end of this. 

He would chain her to the fucking bed when this was done. He would tell her exactly what he thought of her running after him like this. They didn’t have someone around. He’d seen the others passed out. She couldn’t have found someone to help. He’d watched the beast take down Ozymandias. 

He’d seen the knowledge of defeat run through the brunet’s face, seen the color drain from his face. 

That meant the babies were alone. 

He broke paused near the exit to the room, watching the flames lick along the hallway outside the room. 

How far had they gotten? 

He lowered himself towards the floor, watching the area around himself carefully. 

Everything was getting worse. 

The fans had busted, dropping debris into the room. Insulation was burning now, which was why the fires still were going. 

Hakuno was going to be repaying him forever for this. 

A roar went up above the blaze. 

Lower, deeper into the smoke. 

He didn’t waste any time in his movements. The fire would light his path. He could make a round, taking one of the smaller bars that had been support to the beam to drag a bit of the insulation with him. The man was looking for glittering gold amongst the darkness. He hid Enki under his body, inching along in the smoke. 

It was better on his leg like this. 

There was movement. Fleeting, dancing. He couldn’t tell where the real shape was in the darkness, but moving the fire closer was the smarter option. 

A mound of fur met his view. 

Lobo’s golden eyes gleamed. His muzzle moved forward. 

“Adequate, Lobo,” Archer murmured, stroking the beast’s face. “I still have need of you.” 

The wolf sniffed, trying to move to stand and faltering. 

His eyes drifted to the beast’s leg. 

One of the armored plates were the problem. The beating from Berserker must have knocked the armored plate straight into the beast’s leg. He had lost one of his horses in battle like this. 

He couldn’t afford to lose the hound right now though. 

Sliding across the floor, he abandoned the fire for the wolf’s multiplying leg. Once more, he was closing his eyes, draining Hakuno of a bit more energy to fuel his focus. 

It didn’t help much. 

He wasn’t going to hold on at this rate. 

A whimpering met his ears. 

“You are a hound,” Gilgamesh murmured to the beast. “You’re as strong as the Shepard whom Ishtar turned into the very beast that hunted for his flock. You’re the beast that lingers over the horizon, the creature that captures the foul and the useless in the dark. Raise your head and pull yourself together.” 

A tongue wiped over his hand as he tied a bit of his fabrics around the wolf’s leg. He replaced the plate back into place, using the earrings in his own ears to lock them into place. 

The wolf moved onto unsteady legs. 

He raised his head, climbing onto his feet. 

Gilgamesh climbed onto the hound’s back, pulling his sword from the folds of his fabric. 

“we need to find the snake,” he purred. “We need to find the snake and then get my cubs, wolf. Do not fail me. There is no other option for you except destruction of this beast. 

The wolf howled into the room, the sound shaking the wild flames around them. 

He saw the blade glint in his peripheral. 

Sliding his arm down, he caught the blade with a strike of his own, feeling Lobo move in time with him. 

A rumbling was coming from the world around them. More insulation and beams were falling. There was a lack of stability. The weather outside was worsening the roof. 

They needed to find Hakuno quickly after this. 

“Lobo,” Archer growled. 

The hound gave a gruff sound, but his leg wasn’t stable. 

He wouldn’t be able to get far, not without better treatment. 

They were both a leg sort and lessening time. 

The blade came striking down to close. He could see a liquid pouring down the side of the blade. He could see the snakehead that had been sliced for its venom in the man’s hand. 

“You lack everything,” Archer hissed to the man. 

“I will have it all soon enough.” 

Fighting like this would only endanger more than himself right now. 

“Find my master and get her out of here,” Archer murmured to the beast. “Take her to my room. Kill anything in the way.” 

Another strike. Archer parried the attack, slamming his sliced and injured leg at the man’s face. He watched his heel slam into the other’s face. 

A hand grabbed his leg as he went to pull back. He could feel Enki slam into his leg. 

Agony ripped through his senses. A reddish tinge came to his eyes as he looked up at the beast before him. 

The darkness was closing in again. A rainfall was coming from overhead. 

Smoke. So much damn smoke. He went lower. The smoke would rise. The rain would dissipate the-

The blade was back against his leg. 

The beast was going to hack him alive. 

Gilgamesh struck out with his other leg, finding the man’s hand. 

The blade went spiraling off into the sea of black. 

He leaped forth after it. 

The clattering stopped. The rain and the thunder crashed above him. 

It was so filthy. 

It was so dark. 

Berserker would be close. 

Somewhere behind him, the beast was stalking towards his prey. He was seeking the smell of the blood in the air, the sight of his tattered presence so close to the floor. 

It was how he had always imagined the fight with Humbaba would have been. Before he had seen the pathetic beast that the monster had been, his mind had always played with the thought of this. A beast of intellect, a beast of single minded fury. 

He needed Enkidu. 

He needed power. 

Red eyes blazed from the smoke. 

He could see the scales, the grotesque visage of what had once probably been a halfway decent king. 

Further. 

He had to reach our further. 

His sword was a little bit further. 

So many eyes. 

The beast had so many damn eyes. They surrounded him. They mesmerized him, taunting and judging him from the depths of his hellhole. His arms kept reaching further out, holding his blade and moving just a little bit more. 

His legs weren’t working as well as they had been before. 

The mana that had been running in his veins was lessening. 

“I am death to all those of divinity, even the half breed beasts such as yourself. No drop of born divine blood will see the sunrise.” 

Enki and Gula would be dead by dawn. 

It was time to move faster. 

The adrenaline was messing with his senses. 

This wasn’t how he was going to fight. He wasn’t going to-

The feel of a grip met his hands. He laughed, staring into the depths of the abyss and watching them stare back. He could feel the rain and the cold hitting his face. The heat licking at his limbs. 

He slammed the blades together, slashing forth immediately. 

A screech met his ears, unholy and inhuman. 

Death. 

He would kill the beast. 

He would slaughter it before it could touch what was his. 

Again and again, he hacked and slashed at the body above his own. The spinning eyes were pissing him off. The dodging and the amused laughter was grating at his ears. 

How dare this beast live! 

How dare he breathe! 

He wrapped his legs around the beast. 

“Look at you,” a voice rang through the air. “Do you feel it? The need to kill, the thirst to kill any and everything before it takes from you what matters the most?” 

Nonsense. 

Once again, the beast had decided to open its mouth to speak. 

A mongrel to the depths of his soul. A creature unworthy of being alive. 

Archer slammed the blades forth. He needed Caster’s axe. He would never mock it again after this. The blade would have been more effective than this. His bow was too weak, too unsharpened from years of neglect. 

Salvation was too good for this beast. 

Death too simple. 

Archer moved his body further back, finding the smoke closing in. 

The monster knew its domain, knew how to use this world to its advantage. 

A large shadow slammed into him, coming from above. 

He could feel the fangs slam into his chest, the feeling of fluids entering his body again. The world was growing hazy, he couldn’t breathe. 

His blade was dropped. 

“You have time for prayer,” the devil’s voice told him. 

“I have no prayers,” Archer gritted. “The god that you made my woman is that of the night. The one whose deep heart no god can penetrate.” 

“I. Am.” 

“A god.” Archer laughed, letting the sound ring through the chaos. “A god in the bastardization that no goddess, even the useless Ishtar, could have created with her poisoned soul. A beast of no worth, thinking himself to touch that which belongs to me.” 

The beast grabbed his bow, slamming the double blades into his body. 

Archer leaned his head towards the heavens, watching the clouds part, the rain worsening. He let the sound of his laughter ring through the cold and endless night. 

Death. 

Oh death was coming. 

It would not come for him though. 

Ereshkigal would not see to that. 

He could see the moonlight. He could see the celestial light looming overhead, parting the clouds and banishing away the darkness. The greatest of gods, the being who could have only earned such a place through blood and sacrifice. 

The new world’s goddess. 

The reigning sovereign. 

A howl pierced through the air. 

He could hear crying in the distance. Two sets of lungs, crying out for their father. 

The beast above him was trying to move, but Archer grabbed the bow and broke it in two once more. Slamming the golden sword into the beast’s body, Archer let his blade carve into the place he had desired most. The place that was too full for its own good. 

The beating organ came out, the beast’s roar accompanying his own laughter as the sight of a pair of red eyes loomed in the distance. 

He could see the outline of dark hair. He could see the flash of red from a raised hand. 

A command spell had been uttered. 

The beast fell. 

He shoved the body towards the fires near him, letting the fires lick at the inhuman remains of the serpent. 

Hands pressed to his face. 

Lips pressed to his own now. 

Such tender hands, shaking and chilled. 

“The command spell…”

He had to know. 

Had she actually given up on one of him? 

After all this chaos, after all the turmoil that they had gone through, had she truly turned away the worst essence of them that they had found? 

“Archer… Gil…” The woman’s voice was coming in and out, but it was so soothing to his ears. “Gil! Stay with me!” 

“Loud…”

Everything was so loud. Everything was so violent now. The rains overhead felt heavier than gold. The moonlight felt brighter than any spotlight. And her hands… 

“LOBO!” Hakuno screamed the wolf’s name. “OVER HERE! BRING THE SPHINXES!” 

He could see the universe the next time his eyes opened. 

He could feel a hand holding his own, the woman leaning against the beast to walk. 

“Hakuno…”

He had to know. 

Hakuno had never given up on him before. She had never faltered in her faith in him. It was something that he had been immensely proud and immensely frustrated with. 

She could have killed him at the very beginning of all this, but she had seen him in the beast. She could have stopped him a thousand times over, but she had held onto some sliver of hope. She had faltered, changed…

“Just keep holding my hand…” That soft voice called to him. “We’re almost to the infirmary.” 

He could feel fabrics beneath him now. He could hear the sounds of howling in the distance. The moonlight was pouring into the room here. The shadowed figure haunted along the beds, rows of them, from what Archer could see. 

The lantern in the being’s hand swayed. 

Death…

Had he gone to a new part of the underworld? 

All around him, the only beings he could see were those of the departed. He could see Enkidu unconscious at his side. See Ozymandias and Iskander just beyond them. Bed after bed, sporting one hero after another. 

Perhaps the grail had created its own eternal hell. 

The lantern stopped near his bed, attaching to the bedpost. 

The figure in the shadows moved forward, settling onto a stool by the bed. 

A pair of soft hands wrapped around his own. 

“Gilgamesh.” 

“Hakuno…” 

He could feel her lean in, feel the feeling of mana passing just through her touch alone. He moaned into the feeling, longing to lift his arms, but his body was held down. He could feel a wetness meeting his face, feel his own thoughts going into a frenzy at what that could possibly mean. 

The foolish woman. 

For what reason could these tears be shed? 

“Rest,” her voice told him again. 

He wouldn’t. 

Another figure was moving closer to the bed though. He could see the glint of the needle a moment before the world was spinning around him. 

Once again, he found the world around him fading. 

“Hakuno…” 


	31. The Creation and Death of Berserker

_The sunlight came._

_Bright, golden colors, drifting in through the breaks in the green ferns and making him squint his eyes a bit at the look of it all. He could feel a body pressed against his side._

_”You’re awake?”_

_Gilgamesh could see the woman standing up, fixing her hair back into place. Her expression was almost bored looking at him._

_”Ishtar…”_

_”It wasn’t worth it. My father was right.” Ishtar yawned a bit, looking around a few seconds before she began plucking from the flowers in the garden. “I warned me that there was no man that would satisfy my taste. Whether it was you or Dumuzi, you’re all the same. You’re all useless. God, the clay probably would have been a better lay.”_

_A hatred was beginning to boil in him._

_”Oh, so angry.” The woman laughed. “You don’t even know what I did to you, do you?”_

_She moved closer, grabbing his face in her hands and digging her talon like nails into his cheeks as she held his face up._

_”You told me that I turned the Shepard boy into a wolf. Well, my slithery king, I’ve turned the glamorous king into a serpent, or, I did as much as I could. Divinity has saved you somewhat. You truly now look to be the half breed mongrel that you are.”_

_”At least tell me where Enkidu’s soul is.” Inhuman would accept inhuman, after all._

_”What for? So you can destroy and sleep with what you may? Someone needed to put you into your place. It was best for me to do so. To think, you’d believe any god after what all we’ve done to you. You truly are the weakest hero I’ve ever seen.”_

_His hands reached up, scales glinting in the light. He grabbed her neck, watching her hesitate._

_”Alrigh-“_

_The dagger he had kept at his side was slammed into her chest. A coughing escaped her as the woman stared at him, fear flowing into her eyes._

_”My humans will kill you,” Ishtar told him._

_”Then there is no hope for humanity. I will slaughter every god and human that I find,” Gilgamesh vowed. “I will not falter, not fail. I will find the beings who live outside of your brethren’s grasp and outside of the claims of humanity and I will let them rule. Let the beasts and the created reign, since you and your kind are long overdue for death.”_

_”Y-you can’t… kill me… I made you like Dumuzi. I made you like my husband-“_

_Gilgamesh went to the edges of the garden, to the halls and to the edge of the ziggurat. He looked down at the body he had lain with and he felt his stomach churn. He felt a shiver run through his bones at the sight of the too perfect form._

_”L-let me go,” Ishtar pleaded._

_”Warn the gods,” Gilgamesh murmured. “Tell them what you’ve done and let them watch me come to kill them.”_

_”My father-“_

_”I will kill him before your eyes, Ishtar.” He laughed, feeling the strange scales move and seeing the reflection of light bouncing off of him and onto the walls nearby. “I want to see the light drain from your eyes when I do. I won’t do it for Enkidu either.”_

_”Then why-“_

_”I’ll do it because I hate you,” Gilgamesh purred. He leaned in, feeling her face close to his. He could feel her trying to cuddle, trying to gain favor to stay alive. There was no fight, no determination to stop him. She folded and withered like blooms she had plucked from his gardens._

_”My father will kill you,” Ishtar murmured._

_The fool believed herself. Or perhaps she had heard the lie too many times._

_”Then tell him I’m coming,” Gilgamesh replied simply. His hands went to her legs, feeling the smooth, slender feel. They bent so easily, cracked so loudly. The screams on the woman’s lips were awakening all the palace._

_He threw her towards the earth below the ziggurat and turned, pulling Ea from its place within his Gates._

_His first blast went towards his throne, the start of where that liar had taken him first._

_The final blow was by his own hand, staring into the edges of the underworld and knowing no life remained. Only his own._

_The age of humanity was over. At long last._

“Enki, are you bothering your father?” 

Archer felt himself shift, opening his eyes to a sight to behold. Adorned in red and gold robes, her hair loose and falling freely from her shoulders, Hakuno looked down at him, holding one of the babies in her arms and laughing at something close to him. 

He looked down to see his son looking up at him. 

The boy simply closed his eyes, making a satisfied little sound that reminded him of the boy’s mother when she was given sweets in bed. 

“Good evening, Gil.” 

Archer motioned her closer, moving his arms carefully so he could hold his son and delve a hand through the hair of his woman. 

Hakuno kissed him without hesitation, her face burning a bit as she pulled back. 

“I have to be careful,” she told him. 

“Put them in their crib,” Archer murmured. He was tired of waiting. He’d just gotten up and he was exhausted. 

“I shouldn’t. Enkidu and Caster read somewhere that the first few weeks were the most important for a child. They’ve been refusing to let me leave.” 

Good. 

But that didn’t help him with what he wanted right now. Moving to sit up, Gilgamesh found himself wincing. His scowl went to his side and further, down to his leg. 

“Lobo, be gentle.” 

The wolf had made it to his bed somehow. 

“We haven’t been able to locate Hessian,” Hakuno told him, “Lobo was worried about you and has been really great with Enkidu and the kids.” 

“Hound. Off.” Gilgamesh kicked at the beast, earning a searing pain running through his leg. 

Hakuno gave him a droll look, setting the baby in her arms next to him before she pulled back the sheets. The blooming red color made it obvious that he’d messed up. 

“He can’t get off the bed, Gil. He’s got a busted leg as well.” 

“Why isn’t my leg healed?” 

“Probably because we had to break it again and slice it open to get the poison out.” Hakuno moved to the other end of the room, bringing over a selection of medical supplies and slowly rebandaging his leg. “Caster made it so that you would stop healing for five minutes and let Billy get the poison out.” 

“And why is the wolf here?” 

Lobo wrapped that mouth around his foot, earning a warning look before Hakuno shooed the wolf off. 

“He’s lonely without Hessian.” 

Lonely. 

He could see the wolf inching over to Hakuno, nuzzling that muzzle of his against her and earning some head pats. The wolf’s eyes went to the two children before Hakuno was murmuring if he wanted to see Gula again. 

The wolf cuddled his child. 

“Hakuno-“

“He’s gentle. Besides, Gula never cries anymore if Lobo is around.” 

He waited until she was done bandaging his leg before pulling his daughter free from the wolf’s side. Carefully, he pulled both her and his son closer, settling against the pillows. 

“Hakuno, come here.” 

There was a loud whining before Gilgamesh felt a several dozen pound beast climbing onto him. He winced at the feel of the wolf’s paws as Lobo climbed over him and licked at the babies. 

“Lobo. Down.” 

“He’s not a dog.” 

A gruff noise of agreement came from the hound. 

“Hakuno-“

She was pulling the babies away, placing them back into their crib and helping Lobo to that side of the bed. In the wolf’s place, Gilgamesh found the woman leaning over him. 

“Better?” 

“You left the mutt in the room.” 

He was getting a glare from the wolf. Gilgamesh went to smack him when Hakuno interfered again. 

Soft lips met his own again. 

It was difficult to remain on task with taking down the wolf when Hakuno was doing this. She was pushing her mana his direction, utilizing the fact that she was divine now to give him more energy. 

Of course, the wolf was getting to enjoy being too close. 

He turned them, moving onto his side so he could hide the foolish woman away. 

“What happened while I was asleep?” 

“Lobo and the sphinxes helped me move bodies and put the fires out.” Hakuno pulled back a little more, looking up at him. “We woke up Ereshkigal first. She had chains from the depths of the underworld that we could use for… And then we worked on slowly healing everyone. Once Nightingale was up, things got easier.” 

“You chained the berserker up again?” 

“He can’t escape this time.” Hakuno shook her head. “I don’t know why, but he’s not breaking free.” 

They were chains from the underworld. 

Gilgamesh frowned a little, thinking back to the dream that had been happening before he had awakened. 

A berserker created from Ishtar’s antics. 

“You couldn’t kill him?” 

Hakuno winced, but he found himself pulling her in closer. 

She would never be able to kill him. Somehow, in some astounding manner, he had become so important to this woman that she could kill anything in the universe except for him. 

He amused himself with watching her play with the moon and the stars in the night. He watched as the woman moved to the side of their bed to pull their children into bed with them and coo softly. Her lips seemed to find the babies’ foreheads and tiny fists every few minutes. 

She fed him all their meals, had Enkidu help get him to their baths. 

He woke up early one morning and moved slowly, testing his leg before nodding. 

The woman hadn’t denied that Berserker was here. She hadn’t resisted from telling him where he was in Chaldea as well. Carrying the twins along with him, he found himself walking straight there, opening the doors and watching the man sit on the other end of the room. 

A pair of red eyes looked over at him, hair matted and in disarray. 

“King who destroyed the Moon Cell.” 

“King who laid with Ishtar.” 

The berserker winkled his nose, glaring over at him. 

Archer closed the door with a foot, moving closer and settling before the man. 

“These are-“

“The infants, yes. Hakuno’s creations.” He smirked down at the two, watching them yawn and shift in their blankets. “She does not know that I’ve brought them.” 

“You came to mock me?” 

“I came to provide a moment to haunt you, since you have given me the memory of Ishtar’s putrid lovemaking to plague my moments alone.” 

“I am-“

Archer snapped his fingers, allowing the chains to loosen enough for his arms to be down. 

“I could kill them,” Berserker warned. 

Archer set the boy in the man’s arms, watching him falter. 

The scaled beast moved a little more, hugging the infant to his person. Those eyes closed, that head shifted just slightly. Not a single quick movement or harder grip was given. The man simply remained still. 

“They are as quiet as Hakuno,” Archer complained. 

“They are perfect.” 

“They have too much divinity in them as well.” 

“Your mother’s body is the only one that did not bore me,” the beast told his son’s slumbering form. “She is the only one that could sate me, without the use of magecraft and lies.” 

Those red eyes went to him. 

He hated him. 

With every ounce of his body, the man hated him. He wanted to be free. He wanted to kill and conquer, destroy everything. Instead, he had become ruined. The mere creation in his arms, looking up at him with all the adoration and innocence in this universe was his end. Death from a life. 

He let the beast hold the other as well, watching the overpowered servant falter more. He watched, knowing the feeling that was running through the berserker. The need to praise them was unavoidable. The need to spoil them came as natural as breathing, leaving the man to scowl and shake. Archer could feel the mana here and there, the small bits of power that came at him trying to open the gates to retrieve gifts for the two. 

He could do nothing. 

Archer could not even help with that, knowing he would begin the tragedy again. 

It was only when he found his legs falling asleep that Archer pulled the infants from the man’s arms. 

“N-no…”

“Do not make me dream of your memories again,” Archer warned him. “You will never leave this room until you can be tamed, until you can walk amongst humanity without trying to kill them. The babies will not visit again.” 

A roar came behind him as he wandered out the door. 

Berserker was being killed from the inside out. 

Caster got the door for him, blocking out the sound of the berserker. Taking one look at his leg and the twins, Caster scowled. 

“You should be in bed still.” 

He wasn't wrong, but the dreams... He had needed to see for himself. To know if what he had seen was true. 

“I had an interest in seeing the beast contained,” Archer told him. 

“And bringing the infants?” 

He shrugged, “Hakuno coddles them.” 

"Don’t tell her you did that. She’ll be mad enough if she finds that you moved her babies out of the room without telling her.” 

She would. He let the caster hold one of the infants so he could walk with the aid of the wall. 

"Why the hell are you over here anyway? Your room's on the opposite side of this place." 

“I’m investigating why Berserker is the way he is.” Caster glanced back and shook his head. “If this is over Enkidu, he should be an avenger. It doesn’t make sense.” 

“You’re wasting your time.” 

“Hmm?” 

The words died the moment he saw two figures coming their way. He watched as Ishtar and Ereshkigal turn the corner and headed towards them. Together, they both scowled at the women as they passed, lifting their chins up a bit higher, daring them to try to ask to see the infants. 

Ereshkigal hesitated, biting her lip. 

Ishtar glared back, pulling her sister along. 

“Useless,” Caster muttered. 

Ishtar would never amount to anything, destroying Uruk again and again with her actions. 

“There you are!” 

Archer watched Hakuno appeared, storming forward. She was pulling the child from Caster’s arms and hugging the baby close. Her shoulders slumped, her lips once more meeting the baby’s head. 

“Archer, why are you walking around? Nightingale said to give it another week.” 

His thoughts were muddled at seeing her robes undone. His arm latched to Caster, needing the aid in standing upright. He felt the man's hand tighten on him, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. 

“I was helping him,” Caster told her. “In exchange for seeing the infants and for his aid in restoring Uruk.” 

Any argument died. Hakuno's smile returned as she simply nodded and looked at him with the same look he had seen several times before. The look made him falter once more. It had him feeling like the berserker had felt when holding the two babies in his arms. 

If she ever stopped... 

If one day she found the will to kill Berserker, humanity would be doomed.

He would surely lose his mind and replace the beast. 


End file.
